A less than fortunate Valentine's
by Meyou1
Summary: Valentine's Day approaches and Enju attempts to give Rentarō a gift to commemorate their relationship. This backfires, though, and in the middle of their conflict a Gastrea appears and severely injures her, bringing her close to death's door. Pain and suffering ensue.
1. Preparations for Valentine's

It's finally here, after so much planning I'm publishing this story. With the occasion of Valentine's Day, ladies and gentlemen, I'm giving you a Rentarō and Enju fanfic that will hopefully please at least some of you. Some background info before you begin reading though:

1) This takes place after the events of the anime.

2) I did not read the light novels nor the manga. In fact, this entire story is based solely on the anime so if I get a couple of facts wrong in this story that violates what happens in either of those (especially since I believe the light novels also cover what happens after the anime finishes too and some things happening in that might not coincide or mesh well with what happens here) then I apologize in advance.

3) This will be for the most part a hurt/comfort story that will take you to some uncomfortable places as a reader. I don't plan on going too dark but I won't shy away from some scenes either, particularly when it comes to cruelty towards children. So, if you find those subjects too troubling for you, just know that you have been warned. I'll try not to make it too sad though.

4) The formatting used in this story: text in _italics_ means the character's thoughts and inner monologue and text in CAPS means a character screaming. Text in **bold** is context dependent but usually is meant to describe dialogue from characters who are not physically in the present location but merely talking from somewhere else (e.g. via a phone call).

5) Finally, the cover image for this story was created by DeviantArt user "J8d". No changes were made upon the image itself, outside of re-scaling it to change its aspect ratio to better fit in the cover frame it gets displayed in on this website. The license under which the image is distributed is the "Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License". A copy of it may be found at the creative commons dot org website under /licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/legalcode

I hope you will enjoy this story and that you will read it till the end. I welcome reviews of any kind, so please don't be shy in letting me know of your thoughts. Do note though that this story is pre-written so if you'll notice that I won't be taking into account your tips and constructive criticism, please don't take it the wrong way! It's just that after finishing this story I won't be willing to do any re-writes of it. Please keep on posting your criticism, though, as I will use it in future stories!

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~Tokyo, random primary school, February 13th~

It was the early morning, a quiet day in Tokyo. For a city that would get attacked by giant monsters that threatened the well-being of all the residents there and who frequently attacked them at irregular intervals, now it felt very peaceful and relaxed, enjoyable even as the sheer tranquility that the place was bathed with left a very soothing impression on its populace.

Winter left an ugly mark on the city, though, as snow was high enough to make walking through it a rather difficult task and the winter service vehicles were being overwhelmed by the sheer amount of work they had to perform. Tokyo was, after all, a big city even with all the giant monsters that would tear down some of its buildings every so often.

In the school, all the children were silently waiting for their math teacher to finish drawing their new exercise on the blackboard. Most of them were bored, some of them weren't even keeping track of what was going on and some were simply waiting for the door bell to ring.

Teacher: "OK class, here is the last exercise for today: 2x + 3 = 9. How do you solve for x?" she asked impatiently after finishing what was seemingly a gargantuan task for many of the children in there. "Christina? How about you solve this!" the older woman devilishly asked, knowing that the girl has not been paying attention at all to the class for quite some time and she decided that it was time for some retribution.

A young brunette girl, around the age of ten, stared at the blackboard annoyed by her teacher. She hadn't been paying attention at all in that class and, naturally, was now caught off guard and had no idea how to solve that equation. For any adult this equation would probably feel insulting but for a child as young as herself, it felt like a very daunting exercise. She thought about many ways of solving it but the actual methodology was sketchy in her mind and was missing vital parts so she was unsure how to address this.

Christina: "Uhhh…." was all she said for a little while. The teacher frowned.

Teacher: "Well, young lady? We've been solving this type of equations since the beginning of this class. Why weren't you paying any attention?" the teacher scolded with a somewhat angry tone in her voice. The girl stammered, scared because of her and tried to defend herself almost immediately, even though she knew she had no real excuses to supply.

Christina: "No, I was paying attention! It's just that….I need some time to figure it out…" she tried to defend herself although the teacher was by no means easy to impress nor to fool.

Teacher: "Oh really? And how much time do y-…." but before she could finish that sentence the bell rang loud and clear, signaling the end of that class and Christina's merciful salvation from her tormentor. "Uh…..fine. Class dismissed!" the older woman took no pleasure in actually putting down her pupils so she saw no real benefit in continuing her confrontation with the child. She knew full well Christina had lied to her and didn't really know how to solve that equation but she didn't care for that enough to sacrifice her little break for the sake of humiliating her in front of the class. So the older woman took all of her paperwork, organized it properly and exited the classroom in less than a minute, allowing the children to enjoy themselves in their break.

Christina, in particular, felt very relieved that the break came just in time to save her. She dropped down on her desk, sighing profusely almost like she had escaped a life or death situation for the very first time. Almost immediately, her friends gathered around her desk to support the poor unfortunate victim.

Ana: "Are you OK, Chris?" a blonde girl, also at the age of ten, approached her friend quickly.

Christina: "It was horrible! I had no idea how to do it! I thought she was gonna make fun of me!" the brunette cried out in despair, pleading for help from her friends.

Ana: "Seriously though, you should pay more attention in class! That exercise was very easy to solve!" her friend did take the liberty of scolding her a little too though despite the situation. At that point, another one of the girls barged into the conversation to defend Christina.

Enju: "It wasn't all that easy, Ana! I couldn't figure out how to do it either!" a very energetic redheaded girl this time interfered. "It felt harder than the exercises before it!" to that the blonde exhaled loudly, surprised at how her friends joined together against her.

Ana: "Listen you two, you won't get anywhere in life with that kind of attitude! The teacher showed you how to solve this type of exercise! It's fairly easy!" still convinced about the triviality of that equation, Ana refused to back down on her accusatory statements, maintaining that the other two were at fault for being rather careless.

Maria: "Hai hai…..we get it!" came the final fourth member of the group, another brunette girl with a very dismissive and rather flamboyant attitude to calm down the tides among her friends. "We get it that you're the smart one of all of us, Ana! But rather than scold them for not doing so well, how about you show them how it's done! Wouldn't that be more helpful?" that was a rather powerful comeback as this time Ana didn't really have a very good counterargument.

Instead Ana decided to give in and listen to her friend's request and actually show them how it was done. As such, she grabbed a piece of paper laying around on Christina's desk as well as a pencil and began writing down quickly while allowing all the others to stare at her solving the exercise.

Ana: "Fine….Look: 2x + 3 = 9 can be solved like this: see the left side of the equation? 2x + 3? That one has two terms: that is 2x and 3. You take the term that doesn't have a variable inside of it, which in our case is 3 and move it on the other side of the equals sign!" all of the three other girls were comically staring at that piece of paper, fully engaged in this activity, so much so that they were actively trying to make as little noise as possible so that they could hear everything that Ana was saying. "When doing that, the 3 switches sign and becomes -3. So, we get 2x = 9 – 3. 9 – 3 is 6 so, in the end we get 2x = 6. This means that x is a number that, when multiplied by 2, becomes 6. Now, do you know any number that does that?" and, as instantaneous as you can get, Christina sprung back to life in a reinvigorated fashion and suddenly gave out the answer with so much power you would think she was answering the million dollar question in a TV quiz show.

Christina: "Oh…..it's 3!" she exclaimed, filled with renewed vitality. Ana smiled at her.

Ana: "Yes….Christina, it's 3! That means that x is in fact 3 and that's the solution to the equation! Do you now understand how it's done?" despite this solving taking less than a minute, it took a little bit for the other girls to process what had been explained to them. Enju, still somewhat unsure, was scratching the back of her head. She understood everything in a somewhat basic form but then she had another complaint.

Enju: "I…..kinda get what you did there. But how am I supposed to remember this? It's rather complicated!" she complained audibly trying to justify her frustration to the others.

Ana: " _(sigh)_ That's why you have textbooks: to write complicated stuff like this down so you can read them back when you need to. The teacher even told you to write all of this stuff in them! Weren't any of you guys paying attention?" despite her over-the-top indignation at the behavior of her friend, the girl smiled sheepishly in response to her question.

Enju: "Well, I kind of use my textbook for drawing things in it…." Ana face-palmed when hearing that. No wonder they weren't good at school stuff.

Maria: "OK, thank you for your time, teach! We'll be sure to come back to you if we have any other questions…." the girl tried to release some of the frustration that their friend was in and attempted to change the topic of the conversation to something else so that they wouldn't quarrel over pitiful stuff like that. "Anyways, you guys ready for tomorrow? I already talked about it with my mom and she said she'll be helping me out with the preparation!" this was a more engaging topic for them to be honest, especially given the fact that they were one day away from the aforementioned event and didn't have very much time on their hands.

All the girls dropped the previous subject and responded by nodding. All except for one.

Enju: "Fun? What fun? And what preparations? Is there something happening tomorrow?" all the girls around her then stared at her, completely shocked by this reaction from her, not really believing what was going on.

Christina: "What?! Enju, you forgot about Valentine's Day?!" came the most direct question of that day, which landed like a bullet against Enju's head when hearing it.

Enju: "Valentine's Day?!" she shrieked, almost scaring everyone in the class because of the sudden loud outburst that reverberated across the room. Everyone turned their heads at the four girls in the middle of the class, a little scared.

Maria: "You, out of all the people here, forgot about Valentine's Day? Aren't you the one who claims she has a fiance?" that wasn't necessarily a disparaging comment addressed to her, it was more like the result of genuine shock at this news. Enju lowered her head in embarrassment, knowing how much of a surprise this probably was for all her friends.

Truthfully, Enju had told her friends about Rentarō being her fiance some time back and while most of them found it very suspicious how her, a very young girl, was living in the same house with a sixteen year old adolescent, who was in no way related to her, unsupervised and without the monitoring of any of their parents, and even proclaimed to be engaged with him, no less, they didn't want to intervene and didn't even question it since they saw how happy she was whenever she would exclaim such things. For the most part they wanted to be happy for their friend so they just accepted the creepy fact that a teenager was living with a primary school-er in the same house, without supervision, and were somehow engaged.

Children are way less likely to ask questions about stuff like that because they don't have a fair understanding about how the world works and their innocence doesn't make them think about the horrible things that such a setup can actually lead to. Hell, they don't even know much about the birds and bees outside what they had heard from their parents so they don't get to conceptualize the reality that such a thing would entail. They didn't even know what engagement was, hilariously speaking.

Enju: "I forgot all about it! I didn't even realize February was moving so fast!" naturally she couldn't really excuse herself since this was a huge mistake on her part, especially given the fact that she was a girl.

In Japan women, during Valentine's Day, are expected to make chocolate for their male counterparts and give them such gifts on this occasion. It's also popular to exchange chocolate among themselves as friends and even, sometimes, give chocolate even to the unpopular guys in the same class. But, most importantly is the chocolate that a woman gives to the man she's romantically involved with. This chocolate is, usually speaking, expected to be handmade and be as appealing as possible. And the most aggravating part for her is that she had never made chocolate in her entire life up until that point.

Enju: "Aaaahh…..what am I going to do?! Rentarō's never going to forgive me!" she wept, feeling the gravity of her mistake on her shoulders now. She genuinely felt sad because of her recklessness. Seeing this, her friends tried to show some support.

Christina: "Don't worry about it! You still have one day left! I'm sure you can manage!" came the encouraging reassurance that Enju needed so desperately.

Ana: "Yeah, just ask your mother to help you too! I'm sure she can give you a hand if you really needed it!" Enju froze for a second at the hearing of her mother. She stopped, realizing how she didn't want her friends to know that her mother wasn't alive anymore and how, thus, she never told them that fact. She didn't want to give away the fact that she was a Cursed Child, seeing how Rentarō had specifically warned her not to reveal such a thing as that would surely lead to her being expelled from school, and so she kept any clues as to her true nature as hidden as possible from her friends, one of them being her dead mother.

Enju: "Ah…..that won't be a problem! I'm sure she's gonna help me!" she lied nervously, feeling very uncomfortable. She hated lying to her friends, especially since, as a child, she didn't know how to lie very well. She had to train with Rentarō at home a lot for her to learn to develop a convincing lying performance. And even then, she wasn't that confident that she could pull it off. And even if she pulled it off, she still felt very guilty for having to lie to her friends so much. "Still it's not gonna be easy! I never tried making chocolate before..." given her early age, that wasn't a particularly surprising thing.

Ana: "If he's really your fiance and really loves you then I don't think he'll mind that much! After all, it's the intent behind the gift that counts, not the gift itself!" the other girls nodded in agreement almost in unison, trying to continue supporting her.

Maria: "She's right! I'm sure he'll love whatever it is you'll make for him! Just give it a shot! It won't hurt anyone!" with all of their support being conveyed to her, Enju smiled a hopeful smile and allowed herself to consider the possibility that maybe she can pull this off, even if she had never tried it before.

Christina: "Buuut…..first things first" came a sudden sentence interrupting their optimistic chat. "We need to get you to buy the ingredients! At the very least you'll need to buy cocoa powder and vanilla extract!" that was a very technical thing to say coming from a ten year old so this made all the girls in the group stare at Christina in awe.

Ana: "I…..didn't know that!" ironically, the one who had scolded her before for her lack of knowledge was the one who was being impressed now by this.

Maria: "You did some research yourself, Chris! Anyone in particular you want to make chocolate for?" came a teasing remark from Maria who sneered at her friend. Christina blushed lightly and looked away from her, avoiding eye contact.

Christina: "It's….just for a close friend of mine" she tried to not blurt out too many things and so used a very minimalist answer. Maria would have wanted to press on and find out more things about this mysterious boy that their friend had a crush on but Christina intentionally continued the conversation before she could hijack it into that topic. " _(clearing throat)_ Anyways…..I know a convenience store close to your house where you can buy that stuff, Enju! Are you interested?" to that, the one in question beamed a radiant smile.

Enju: "Sure!"

~4 hours later, Satomi residence~

In their home, Enju and Rentarō were mostly keeping to themselves and being unusually quiet that day. Well, unusually with respect to Enju as Rentarō was always quiet. So if she would not engage in conversations with him every so often, he would simply fall into silence and think of something, disconnecting from his environment.

Now, Enju was quiet because she was reading something on her phone. She was surfing the web trying to see what she could find with respect to homemade chocolate recipes. Luckily for her, there were many websites that touched upon the said topic, some very detailed and thorough and others more short and very specific. The amount of information she was being flooded with was overwhelming for her.

Enju: " _The internet is an incredible thing_ " she thought to herself, impressed by the sheer volume of information she could access just from her smartphone. After having browsed approximately twelve different websites on this topic, she suddenly turned to Rentarō and asked an unexpected question. "Rentarō, what do you like more? Bitter sweets or sweet sweets?" she inquired, which made the man immediately figure out what she was doing.

Rentarō: " _(sigh)_ No" came his adamant and actually very straightforward response to her query. Hilariously her question wasn't even a yes/no question.

Enju: "What?" naturally she was confused by his enigmatic 'no'.

Rentarō: "I don't need your chocolate, Enju! I appreciate you putting the effort into it but I already told you a million times that you shouldn't make me chocolate at all!" indeed, there were many times in the past when Rentarō specifically told Enju not to make him Valentine's Day chocolate. Obviously she didn't really want to listen to his wishes though.

Enju: "Why not?" came a now somewhat angry comeback from an indignant Enju.

Rentarō: "Because, for the last time, we aren't lovers! I'm not your fiance and we won't marry! I don't want chocolate!" he sternly told her, feeling very assertive that day. The girl stood there, annoyed by his rather cold attitude towards her dedication to him.

Enju: "Yes we are! And even if we weren't lovers, I'd still give you giri-choco since we work together!" she persisted, not allowing him to deny her her right of giving him a gift, especially not on such an occasion.

Rentarō: "If that's the case then you can simply buy me a chocolate from a nearby store! You don't have to hand make it for me!" he replied, again, still trying to deter her from continuing with her plans. "Look, Enju! It's too early for you to cook, especially make something as complicated as chocolate! Now, if you want to make chocolate for your classmates then I can help you with that! But if you wan-…."

Enju: "NO!" came a just-as-stern reply from her as well. "I want to be the one to make you chocolate! You shouldn't help if you're also the one who should receive it as a gift!" apparently she was just as stubborn as he was, a trait Rentarō thought was somehow passed onto Enju while she had been living with him for such a long time.

Rentarō: " _(sigh)_ You're very persistent…..Don't you want to do something better with your time? Like go outside and play rather than staying indoors and learning how to cook?" his dissuasion tactics were not very effective.

Enju: "I do believe that you're my fiance. And as your fiancee I want to make you chocolate! It's not just because I want to, it's because I have to! If you accept it or not is entirely up to you!" this was an argument he knew he was doomed to lose, despite how strict he tried to appear to her. In the end, outside of banning her from using the kitchen entirely, there was nothing he could do to stop her from making him chocolate.

Knowing that, he resigned himself to his fate and decided to let go of this pointless squabble.

Rentarō: "Fine…..whatever, do what you want!" he finally gave his consent to this entire thing. He didn't really expect her to accomplish her task. After all, a ten year old attempting to make chocolate wouldn't really sound feasible, especially if she wasn't helped at all. She had no parents or relatives at all (at least any that either her or Rentarō knew of) and the only one she was living with was the one who wasn't allowed to help her.

He knew she wouldn't succeed, regardless of how hard she tried. Because of this he wanted to stop her before she would put any effort into it and cut her work short. Still, she seemed very persistent and continued to keep the idea that she had to make him home made chocolate no matter what. And it looked like it was very little he could do about it.

The girl then gave him a triumphant smile, proud of herself for obtaining his agreement to this dilemma. Having his blessings, she continued to browse the websites to keep on reading recipes.

Rentarō: "And I don't really like sweets at all, either bitter or sweet! Just make me whatever you can!" that was his only real contribution to their discussion and even that wasn't meaningful for her purposes. Still, she decided to remember that for when she will cook. "I can at least help you out with the ingredient shopping!" he tried to help her as much as she would allow him.

Enju: "Already did the shopping after school! My friends helped me pick out the ingredients!" that was a very warming thing for him to hear since it meant that she was actually bonding well with her classmates, a promising evolution considering how often Enju changes schools. "I'm gonna start using them in making the chocolate tonight!" she revealed, something which raised suspicion in the boy standing right next to her.

Rentarō: "Why tonight? Can't you start making the chocolate now?" came a natural query.

Enju: "No! It has to be when I'm sure you won't enter the kitchen while I'm cooking!" whatever was going on in this girl's head, Rentarō had no idea what that was. "So I'll start cooking as soon as you go to sleep!" that sounded very annoying.

The thought of her waiting for him to go to sleep to do anything made him feel very anxious, especially since he had very little faith in her cooking skills at all. What was she planning on doing that night?

Rentarō: "Why?"

Enju: "I can't really give you a reason. Think of it as a woman demanding her privacy!" that obviously didn't satiate Rentarō's curiosity at all but he didn't want to further inquire too much. He had better things to worry about, after all, than waiting to see what she would do. He could only hope though that she won't make a complete mess out of the kitchen.

~Next day, morning~

She felt horrible. After an entire night of cooking and experimenting various recipes over and over again she felt like she was about to drop dead after this much effort. This was the very first time in her entire life when she expended so much energy and effort into anything. Her eyes were burning intensely, she felt a nauseating headache and an incredible urge to go to bed to sleep already and her fingers were so dry because of how much she had used her hands in her concoction making that she felt like the skin would crack at some point.

She wanted to sleep so badly she was barely even fighting her instinctual temptations to just lay her head on the table for a second and close her eyes. Her body felt heavier then than she had ever felt in her entire life and even the simple task of moving suddenly became gargantuan chores that challenged her willpower.

Enju: "So….this is what it means to become a woman…." she jokingly thought at the idea of becoming a housewife who does cooking till late in the night. The idea, while ridiculous, did warm her heart a little when thinking of her supposed 'husband' who was in bed now, oblivious to her burdens and exhaustion from overworking. It looks like he did indeed took to heart his response to her request of not invading her privacy that night while she would cook for him. He hadn't stepped foot in that kitchen all night, not even to check up on her.

Enju: "He was probably very tired…." she said to herself. Then again, she had been neglecting the fact that she herself had been just as tired for hours at that point. "I hope he'll like this…." after many many trial and efforts she finalized her work and managed to successfully complete the task, more or less anyway. Her body was covered in chocolate, flour and baking soda, mostly on her arms and face. She would be horrified of the mess she had caused to both herself and the kitchen had she not been so tired that her brain was already refusing to process these new pieces of information.

Instead, she took a glance at the digital clock nearby to confirm the hour: it was a little past 5 in the morning. She had literally spent the entire night learning how to cook chocolate. This simple fact scared her. She was so glad that she had listened to her friend's advice about buying extra quantity of the ingredients so that even if she failed in cooking once, she would have enough raw material to try another couple of times. And she did just that, having retried that same recipe four times that night (as well as other recipes too). To say that she was ecstatic now that the torment was finally over would be an understatement.

Enju: "I guess there's really no point in going to sleep at this hour. I might as well go take a shower now. Rentarō would yell at me if he saw me like this…." at least she acknowledged the fact that she was really messy. Not only would a shower clean her of all those ingredients on her body, it would also force her brain to wake up if the water was a little colder. That was something she needed considering that she wouldn't get the chance to sleep that night.

So, she packaged her chocolate creations in a heart shaped box, put a small handwritten note in and wrapped it in a cute pink ribbon for extra aesthetic. Afterwards, she went to the bathroom, put all her dirty clothes in the dirty laundry basket and took the liberty of occupying the bath tub for an entire hour, diligently scrubbing every single part of her body to ensure that she would be clean for the upcoming day.

In the middle of her bath, though, she paused a little and contemplated how the rest of the day should play out. Obviously she would affirm her love to Rentarō once again, using this occasion as a means in expressing her affection for him. If all were to go well, as she hoped they would, he would impatiently wait for her to return from school and then take her out on a date.

There, they would have lots of fun together and then, at the end of the day, she hoped he would reward her efforts for him with a kiss. Given that she used up so much energy to do her due diligence as a fiancee, she considered it to be natural for him to reward her efforts in some way.

Enju: "I wonder if he's going to kiss me on the lips this time…." she blushed furiously at the thought while childishly giggling to herself and allowing her imagination to take over. "He's going to kiss me deeply, make me feel happy and excited, and then he's going to touch my body…..start caressing my breasts gently with one hand and then move his fingers in my underwear with the other and….and…." she was thinking hotly before a sudden and rather unwelcome sneeze came upon her and interrupted her smutty trains of thought. "Uh, the water is getting really cold….I should probably finish soon or I'll catch a cold…." and so she stopped conjuring lewd images of her and her supposed fiance in bed and focused again at the task of washing herself. Needless to say, though, that she was very impatient and could barely even wait for the rest of the day to play out. She wanted for Rentarō to finally give her some affection. After all, in the past couple of weeks, he had been especially cold and distant towards her. She couldn't really explain why exactly but he had shifted into a darker and more emotionless attitude recently.

She hoped now that this Valentine's Day would put an end to the awkward silence that their relationship had plummeted into and allow them to manifest themselves as lovers once again. At least, that was an honorable attempt.

After an hour had passed since she had entered the tub, she finally finished with her ministrations, pulled the cork and allowed the water to drain while she wiped herself dry with a towel.

Enju: "Today's gonna be so much fun!" she was so excited. Every single nerve in her body was screaming in joy. She now felt bolder and happier than ever. "Maybe Rentarō will forgive me if I wake him up today…." she mischievously considered while grabbing her fresh clean pair of underwear and putting them one before also grabbing her pajamas and putting them on as well.

Next, after cleaning the tub properly and brushing her teeth, she headed towards Rentarō's room. Now, Rentarō had specifically ordered her, many times in the past, to never enter his room again, especially while he was sleeping at night. He had forbidden that for so long that Enju stopped counting and while she had begun to actually consider his decision recently, she decided to make an exception that day since she just couldn't wait for him to wake up on his own.

Gently and silently she walked across the hallway until she arrived in front of his door. Gulping subtly, she braced herself and slowly turned the handle on his door to open it, doing her best to ensure that she wouldn't make any noise to wake him up.

Even though the entire purpose for her visiting his room was to wake him up, she wanted to surprise him by being literally next to him when he would rise up. And so she stealthily sneaked inside, closing the door behind her with a lot of attention, and then made tacit steps towards his bed.

The boy was deep in slumber, obviously not used to being awake at that hour. Normally he would be a very light sleeper, as his past had forged very strict and powerful instincts in his body that increased his subconscious awareness of his environment, so much so that he would jump straight up even at the smallest of disturbances.

Enju, though, after living with him in the same house for quite a significant while and even sleeping with him a handful of times, had learned how to bypass his natural defenses, often times to achieve vile and evil purposes, at least from Rentarō's perspective. Taking advantage of such knowledge, she preyed upon her defenseless victim, hungrily scanning his unsuspecting vulnerable body, not unlike how a cheetah would target and sneak upon a group of delicious gazelles.

She enjoyed watching him sleep, for whatever reason. Seeing him this peaceful and relaxed made her happy. It proved to her that even someone as strict and on-the-edge as him had his soft and delicate moments. It made him look more human in her eyes.

Rentarō: "No….you can't!" came an unexpected and rather scary development from him. Enju immediately tensed, thinking that she had woken him up by mistake while sneaking.

However, she afterwards noticed how his eyelids wouldn't lift and his breathing remained just as slow and calm as before, indicating that he was still sleeping. Confused, the girl payed even closer attention, trying to figure out why he suddenly said that while not even being awake.

Enju: " _That was weird….I could have sworn I heard him say some-_ " but no sooner had she even initiated that thought than another sudden group of seemingly random words came out of his mouth.

Rentarō: "No! We can't! I don't even have a condom with me!" and then his arms moved slightly, almost as if he was reenacting what was going on in his dream. At that point, Enju's face lit up and she immediately realized what was going on: Rentarō was talking in his sleep.

She chuckled to herself, smiling at him a devilish grin, even happier now that she had the opportunity to spy on her fiance's inner desires.

Enju: " _So….this is what a wet dream for men is like. I heard my friends talking about it so much at school. It looks….fun!_ " she thought while closely analyzing the boy's every gesture. " _Doing it without a condom with me? Rentarō, you're even naughtier than I thought!_ " she was going to use this information for a long time in the upcoming days, for sure. He would not hear the end of it. " _I wonder….what position we are using_ " the blushing became even more intense than before. She was beginning to wonder if there was some way she could probe him for more information about his dream without having to wake him up. Clearly this was an invasion of privacy but she didn't really care. She was too fixated on what her and Rentarō must be doing in his erotic imaginative adventure.

Rentarō: "No… _._ get off of me! You can-…..aaaghhh" he yelled lightly, visibly moving his limbs around under the sheets while struggling futilely.

Enju: "It's in…." she comically remarked, amusing herself at the helplessness that his partner was displaying in front of her. "My my….I never knew you were this much of a pervert, Rentarō!" at this point she didn't even care anymore if she was talking out loud since his voice was already louder than hers and he didn't seem to be waking up at all. "If you really wanted us to do that I wouldn't have minded! You could have just asked!" she was feeling the urge to take advantage of this situation and suddenly assault the boy with a few invitations of her own.

She felt her heart pounding faster all of a sudden. Her body was getting excited as well from this shameless display of lust. She considered making moves on him now while he was in this state since he clearly was enjoying himself too much. Selfishly leaving her out of this was not something she was happy with. She wanted to play with him for real.

Enju: "Hmm….maybe when he'll get close enough to finishing I'll give him a good morning kiss! That will satisfy him!" she wasn't going to let this opportunity slip away. She needed to take advantage of this now that he was so aroused.

Rentarō: "Ahh….I'm almost….get off! I might just…." he was starting to shake a little as the girl continued to keep watch.

Enju: "You're almost there, Rentarō!" she encouragingly whispered in his ear before approaching her lips to his own. "Almost theeee…." but just before she could do the deed, a new twist arrived:

Rentarō: "No….stop! Kisara-san, stop it!" came the reality shattering confession that the girl could never have expected. Immediately when hearing that, Enju's eyes widened so hard from the shock that she put a lot of distance between her face and Rentarō's and simply stared back at his sleeping figure in disbelief.

Enju: "Ki-….ki-…..Kisara-san?!" she felt like yelling at that, only barely managing to contain her furious anger as she did her best to not wake up the boy sleeping right next to her. All of her libido that had been building up inside of her had been brutally and mercilessly blown to smithereens. She could feel her heart now racing even harder than before and her face becoming even redder than ever, although this time because of her rage, not because of blushing.

Now she didn't mind anymore if she woke him up. In fact, she even felt entitled to question him because of his dubious dreams involving other women. Still, the girl tried to maintain a tactful and more sophisticated approach to this problem and decided to use another strategy.

So, she approached her mouth to his ear once again, starting to delicately whisper once again.

Enju: "Rentarō, Rentarō…." she began, trying not to overdo it and actually wake him up as that would defeat the purpose of what she was attempting. The boy stopped with his exhibitions, noticing the strange voice disrupting his sleeping cycle and processing its information.

Rentarō: "….." he stood there, not doing anything in particular but simply laying there motionless, as opposed to earlier when he had been moving around and randomly spouting gibberish. Now he was listening to Enju's talking, which encouraged the girl to continue.

Enju: "Wake up, Rentarō!" came the sudden request, the girl trying to mask her anger and attempting to sound as persuasive but inviting as possible. The boy, hearing this, realized that he must have been in his bed and began to slowly wake up.

Rentarō: "Not now….Enju! Let me sleep a little more!" he responded in a grumpy and dissatisfied voice. He wanted to be left alone, of that much he was sure. He had already set the alarm on his clock so he didn't need her to disrupt his sleep. Because of this, he tried to compel her to leave his room.

Enju: "Wake up, Rentarō! You're gonna be a father! Me and you are going to have the most amazing child together!" she directly landed her hardest and most effective hit against his half-unconscious fiance. The boy didn't know how to respond, still analyzing what piece of information he had received from the girl. His brain was obviously not functioning at its fullest capacity yet as a lot of energy was being used to maintain his sleep and so he could only marginally process this news. Still, the impact it had on him became clear very quickly and, almost as if on command, the very small fragment of his encephalon that actually payed attention to her voice, jump-started the entire rest of the organ almost in an instant, as a sudden rush of adrenaline was felt and the boy went into overdrive. In a split second he rose up from his sitting position, with a face that quickly whitened so hard it looked like he was about to faint and began quickly scanning his environment for the source of that voice.

Noticing the girl sitting next to him, the boy grabbed her shoulders with his hands and looked at her directly in the eyes, with a voice that betrayed fear.

Rentarō: "We have a baby?! How do you know that?! Did you stop having your periods yet?!" he began rapidly asking her, taking the poor girl by complete surprise. Enju, feeling overwhelmed by his overly energetic spontaneous mood, thought about his question, trying to think of a proper way of answering.

Enju: "Uhhh, what's a period?" she responded with what she honestly thought. The boy, the moment he understood what she had said, fully woke up and realized, then and there, the absurdity of the supposed pregnancy claim as he had then remembered, finally, the girl's actual age.

Rentarō: "Enju….why do you think you're pregnant? We never had sex!" he barely asked with subtle hatred in his voice before the girl burst out laughing in his arms.

Enju: "I can't believe that worked so well!" she admitted, continuing to amuse herself at his extreme and otherwise irrational behavior. The boy glared at her, with so much fury that he wanted to yell at her for this cheap trick that she tried on him. The girl didn't seem to mind the obvious daggers that he was shooting at her from his eyes. He let go of her shoulders and pulled his face closer to hers.

Rentarō: "You're going to pay for that, Enju…." he warned, letting her know of his now vengeful intentions. The girl, upon hearing this, calmed herself down from her inane laughing session and tried to pull herself together to have a serious conversation with him now that he was fully awake.

After finally managing to achieve that, she cleared her throat and began attempting to justify her actions to him.

Enju: "Well, it's because you were having lewd dreams about Kisara-san!" she tried pointing out to him. The man suddenly remembered, at that point, the erotic dream he had had just before he was taken away from it by this noisy little creature.

Rentarō: "No, I did not!" he lied, avoiding eye contact with her to try to ensure that she wouldn't catch on. Sadly for him though, she was not gonna allow herself to be that easily fooled.

Enju: " _(suddenly glaring at him)_ Don't lie to me! I know you were having naughty dreams involving her! You said her name at one point!" she accused him, clearly letting him know that she was fully aware of the truth. The boy blushed at that accusation as a new revelation had been made to him.

Rentarō: "I did what?!" up until that point he had never even known that he would talk in his sleep. This was news to him. "I….I talked in my sleep?!" to that, the girl nodded while pouting adorably.

Enju: "'No, get off of me!' 'I don't even have a condom with me'…..is what you said!" she comically reenacted some of his movements herself, wrapping her arms around her own torso and closing her eyes while acting out his lines in an over-the-top manner to annoy him. "You were even moving around! I never knew you could be so lewd, Rentarō!" this time that wasn't used in any way as a compliment as the girl continued to look at him with anger in her eyes.

At this point, realizing that nothing he would say could save him, Rentarō dropped any lies and simply embraced the embarrassment he was feeling at having his privacy invaded in such an unkind manner.

Rentarō: "I….can't control what I dream! Besides, who I fantasize about is none of your business! If the truth hurts you so much then don't sneak into my room in the first place!" obviously that reasoning didn't help his cause by much, as such a retort only served to madden his wanna-be fiancee all the more.

Enju: "I can't accept that!" she declared, almost as if his dreams were in fact indeed controllable and that this act of infidelity was on par to being caught cheating on your wife in bed. She felt betrayed and so she was taking this especially badly even though Rentarō had every right to defend himself given the circumstances. "You're my fiance! That means that you're only allowed to dream about doing naughty stuff with me and nobody else! I'm the only woman who you should see naked!" she proclaimed proudly, sounding so unreasonable that the boy face palmed.

Rentarō, after having enough of her crap and very annoyed that he had been woken up that early in the morning, decided to cut this conversation short and go back to bed to recover on whatever sleep he could until actual morning would come. So he grabbed Enju's tiny body once again while she was throwing her mildly annoying tantrum, lifted her up from the ground and began carrying her.

Enju: "Oh….you want to apologize by carrying me to my room? That's so sweet of you!" she comically dropped all the hostility she had harbored for him just mere moments ago. "Will you undress me too when we get to my bed? Because that's the only way I'm willing to for-…." and then, before she could finalize that thought, he threw her in a very cartoon-ish way directly through the door into the main hallway, having her land face flat onto the wall opposite to his room's door. "…..ow" was all she ended her conversation with.

Rentarō: "This is the last time I'm tolerating this! Sneak into my room one more time and you're getting grounded!" he harshly told her as the girl picked herself off the ground. "Now get back to your room and sleep!" he felt that he has had enough of her shenanigans and what was even more frustrating for him was the fact that that day hadn't even begun yet. But as he grabbed his door and was ready to shut it closed and leave the girl in the hallway, she turned around at him with half formed tears in her eyes.

Enju: "That's not fair!" she yelled one last time in desperation to get his attention. "You sleep for almost the entire night and I'm the one who got to work throughout all of it! And this is the treatment I get?!" at hearing that, the boy stopped in his tracks and refocused his attention on her, giving in and not continuing to disregard everything she was saying to him.

Rentarō: "You what?!" and it was then when a sudden light bulb turned on brightly over his head as the realization finally got through his thick skull. "You…..made chocolate for me all night?" he calmed down then, relaxing and taking a more gentle and friendlier attitude when hearing that.

The girl didn't start crying yet and tried to maintain a dignified look while dusting herself off and getting back on her feet.

Rentarō: "Why?!" he asked what was probably the dumbest question that day. The girl pointed her finger at him to relay even more frustration towards him.

Enju: "Because I love you, you idiot!" his conscience was finally starting to get the better of him and he was now feeling guilty for having acted so directly and brutally to her.

When he finally let his guard down, the boy allowed Enju to pull him from his room across their home and into the kitchen where she had spent almost all night.

The man, upon entering the room, was greeted with an even more nauseating and merciless sight to behold. When he entered the chamber, his still-waking-up brain was incapable of properly deciding what to make his eyes focus on as the amount of information he was receiving from that room was so huge and shocking that he was actually refusing to accept the reality in front of him: semi-molten chocolate hand prints were smudged systematically across many of the areas that were once clean, among which was the oven, the primary dining table, all the cooking utensils which Enju used (and they weren't few), a couple of cracked egg shells on the floor, flour and footprints in it that littered the floor and just an overall messy collection of randomly scattered opened bags of various ingredients, among of which was baking soda, vanilla extracts and more.

The kitchen was in such disarray that the boy even considered the possibility of them having been robbed. But then again, what would a robber get out of pillaging their cooking area? Enju ignored his complete shock as she hadn't noticed it and simply walked up to the box of chocolates she had prepared for him before and grabbed it to hand it to him. But it was then that she noticed his horrified expression.

Enju: "What's wrong, Rentarō?" the naivete in her voice would be charming to him, had it not been for the circumstances that was causing the boy's blood pressure to rocket into the dangerous unhealthy levels.

Rentarō: "Enju…." he began, his voice shaking almost like on the verge of crying. The girl, noticing his troubled behavior, immediately ran up to him to aid.

Enju: "Rentarō, are you alright? You look like you just saw a ghost!" she was so oblivious to what was going on that the boy couldn't even get mad at her. This was undoubtedly because of the exhaustion that she was enduring that her brain was incapable of acknowledging the disaster that she had caused to their kitchen. In such a situation, as much as Rentarō wanted to, he simply could not muster the rage necessary to properly punish her for this herculean catastrophe that she had brought to their home, especially since she did all of that for his sake supposedly.

Rentarō: "Next year…..I don't care if you plan to give it to me or not! I'm helping you with the making of chocolate! And that's final!" was all he could say in wake of that. The girl wanted to protest but before she did so she looked in the same direction as he was to see if she could better explain his erratic behavior. And, after finally investing a little more effort in trying to understand and identify his cause of shock, she finally realized, just then, what was the real reason for her partner's distress.

When she expended a little more attention to her surroundings, she finally understood why he had been so distraught now: the entire room was a complete mess because of her.

Enju: "Oh…..I see" she calmly stated, with a forced smile on her face almost like trying to pretend that it wasn't that much of a big deal at all, even though the teenage boy next to her was almost about to erupt in a wail of tears in desperation. "Uh…..I think I can clean this up?" was all she could add in an attempt to make the boy feel a little better, even though he knew full well that allowing her to aid him in cleaning that kitchen, especially with her exhaustion, would probably backfire considerably. And at this point he could not afford any more surprises.

With a twitching eyebrow giving away the level of emotional stress he was under, the boy contained all of his anger and calmly just replied.

Rentarō: "Why? What did you cook that required this amount of work and ingredients?!" by the looks of it, he estimated that probably at least 10% of the ingredients she must have bought were now scattered and stained their kitchen in various areas, instead of ending in actual food. He was so taken aback by the sheer scale of the aftermath of Enju's disastrous culinary quest that he could only wonder what Guinness Book recipe had this child attempt to follow.

Enju: "Eh…..uhmm, I can't really say. It's supposed to be a surprise after all" she nervously laughed in response, not really earning her any credit from the miserable teenager.

Rentarō: "Why couldn't you have just bought regular chocolate bars from the convenience store, melted them into cream and then simply add some powders for flavor while they cool back down? Isn't that what most women do during Valentine's day? Wasn't that good enough?" again, at this point he was too tired to even get mad. He just felt the incredible urge to turn back around and head to his room and hug his bed.

Enju wasn't that particularly happy with his remark though.

Enju: "That's cheap! I wanted to show you all my love for you by working hard and making you something special!" despite her commendable devotion for this, he couldn't help but wonder how much less of a pain this could have been if she simply followed the regular tradition and didn't go overboard. "I guess I might have overdid it a bit though…." now she couldn't really deny the fact that Rentarō actually had good reasons at that moment to be mad at her.

The boy allowed a sigh out of his system, arguably the heaviest sigh he had had in weeks. Then, inhaling deeply almost as if he was about to enter battle like usual, he gathered the courage necessary and began walking towards the disaster that was awaiting him. He opened a nearby drawer and pulled out a pair of rubber gloves, a face mask as well as a handful of sponges, bottles of various chemical cleaning solutions and, of course, the good old broom.

He immediately began to perform the necessary actions to clean that room, although not without grunting every so often, reminding the girl overlooking of his discomfort.

Enju: "I'm sorry I caused you so much trouble" she responded with a sorrowful face that showed genuine remorse. "Do you hate me now?" naturally, when a little girl like her would ask such an innocent sounding question, there was no way Rentarō could answer that without trying to downplay her fault.

Rentarō: "I don't hate you, Enju. I just wish you were a bit more careful when you do stuff like this…." he explained while continuing to do the necessary work as she was watching him. "You made such a huge mess out of the kitchen, it will probably take the entire day for me to properly clean it up!" suddenly, at the hearing of that estimation, the girl tensed up and a bad feeling came over her.

Enju: "All day long? Uhh….Are you sure? Can't you somehow finish it by the time I come home from school?" she inquired sheepishly, trying to remind him of the fact that they were supposed to go on a date later that day. Naturally, Rentarō did not pick up on that.

Rentarō: "I'll do my best but this will take time. Why? Do you have plans to do something after school today?" of course he had forgotten his promise to her pertaining to their upcoming Valentine's date. Enju couldn't really say that she was surprised but she did feel a little furious because of his disregard to anything romantic.

Enju: "Yes, Rentarō! You promised me, last Christmas that you would take me out on a date today! Remember?" it was then that the boy stopped in his tracks and actually recalled the promise he had made with her back then.

Rentarō: "I did what?!" came the debilitating scream from a both surprised but also annoyed teenager. It was at that moment when Rentarō realized that that day would be a true nightmare for him.

* * *

Author's note: chapter one finally complete. Sorry for the exaggerated length of this chapter. I guess I went a bit overboard with it. I'll try to keep the future ones a little bit shorter, not by much but noticeable at least. As of right now, I'm planning on maintaining a weekly upload schedule for this story (meaning I plan on uploading one chapter every week from now on until I'm done). However, if you guys think that's not appropriate enough and you want more frequent updates or less frequent ones, please let me know in your reviews how often you would be comfortable with me uploading this content. The story will already be fully written by the time I publish it so I can upload as often as you want me to. Since the chapters are so large, though, I'd imagine you won't want them to be too frequent.

Also, to explain what giri-choco means: giri-choco is the type of chocolate handed out by women in Japan during Valentine's day to men who they are not romantically involved with. A common misconception about Valentine's day in Japan is that women there give out chocolate only to the men who they love. In actuality, they also give out chocolate to men who they are only acquainted with (such as their male co-workers, classmates and others). This type of chocolate gift is usually cheap and easy to make and doesn't require much effort. It's merely symbolic of formality.

Have a nice day!


	2. A wild Gastrea appears

He remembered it. What Enju had told him just then about him having promised her a date was indeed true, even he had to admit that.

Last Christmas, he made such a commitment to her. During Christmas Eve, when it is Japanese tradition for couples to go out on dates and enjoy themselves to their heart's content, Rentarō refused to listen to his so called fiancee's requests for them to go out and instead counter-offered to take her out during the upcoming Valentine's Day, as that was less than two months away anyway and it was more in spirit to how Western tradition was. Although grudgingly, the girl yielded and accepted.

Truthfully, Rentarō wasn't that much against going out with Enju because he didn't enjoy her company, it was more related to his refusal to acknowledge her romantic feelings for him and reinforcing those feelings by acting upon them. Still, by postponing their rendezvous, he only doomed himself now when the day of the deed did finally arrive and he had to keep his promise now. This, especially at that moment when the kitchen was in utter disaster, didn't really make him especially happy.

Now, he had to both repair all the damage done by Enju and also take her out on a date once she would return from school. He could only sigh in these circumstances.

Rentarō: "I don't suppose we can leave our date for another time, can we?" he asked, trying to find some way out of this mess without actually having to endure it.

The girl, though, was intelligent enough to not allow him to further delay their inevitable lovers excursion.

Enju: "No! You promised me you'll take me out! You told me that all adults should keep their promises!" of course it wasn't going to be that easy.

Rentarō: "Yeah, I said that, didn't I?" he smiled in contempt, resigning himself to his fate and letting go of all hope that he could enjoy anything that day. He would have argued a lot more in any other day but, given how that was still in the early morning and both him and Enju had to prepare for the latter's departure for school, he just let it go and tried to move the conversation along so as to not mess their schedule any further.

Rentarō: "And I don't suppose you'll be satisfied with us just ordering pizza for the night, will you?" that couldn't even formally be classified as a date, even Enju knew that.

Enju: "No! I want you to take me out on a real date! I want to have fun and feel appreciated!" for whatever reason she decided to speak like an old wife who was demanding some attention from her old and disinterested husband who had stopped paying attention to her for years.

Rentarō: "Sure….why not? I already gave up…." with no arguments to make that could get him out of this situation, the boy accepted the fact that the quickest and least painful way to handle this current state of affairs was to just simply go with it and end this ridiculous 'date' as soon as possible. "Do you have a particular place in mind that you want us to visit?"

Enju: "Toshimaen!" she gleefully exclaimed, with a lot of renewed energy surging inside her body because of Rentarō's acceptance of his destined date with her. However, as soon as he heard the name of that amusement park, the boy's body cringed a little as the memories of what had happened more than half a year before assaulted his brain and brutally reminded him of a rather unpleasant experience.

In the past, Rentarō and Enju had already traveled to Toshimaen. It was a rather popular park that luckily survived the Great Gastrea War and continued to entertain both children and adults with their numerous attractions, among which are some infamous roller coaster rides.

Back then Enju, naturally, wanted to go on one such ride when she arrived there, a particularly scary one, despite Rentarō's continued protests against the idea. After eventually managing to convince the boy, the duo went to the ride and tried to have as much fun as they could.

Halfway through though, the two realized the flaws in Enju's plan. Since Enju had not been on any roller coasters before and she was not psychologically prepared for the endurance test that she was about to experience, she got scared quickly, especially when she noticed the particularly huge and steep slope that their train was beginning to slowly climb. As a young girl, she wasn't ready for such an extreme ride, particularly since it was her first time enjoying such a feature. Finally, when the train did arrive at the top, it immediately plummeted at a nauseating speed back down, sharply contrasting the relatively slow ascent and almost giving her a heart attack.

When this happened, the girl's survival instincts kicked in and fear took over her normally rational personality. She used her Gastrea-enhanced strength to break the constraints that were holding her tied to her chair and jumped off the train while still in the ride.

Needless to say that ended up attracting a lot of attention and, while her being a rabbit model ensured that she would survive unscathed the normally-fatal fall from that height, the true nightmare came soon afterwards. Rentarō received an enormous fine for breaking one of the park's rules, specifically the one about Cursed Children not being allowed on the park's grounds. Since he had hidden Enju's status as such a child from the employees there, he was legally in the wrong and he knew he couldn't fight it in any way.

While that had happened many months before, the memory was still fresh in the teenage boy's mind and he didn't feel thrilled at the idea of returning there.

Rentarō: " _(sigh)_ Enju, you do remember what happened last time we went there, don't you?" he doubted the girl could have forgotten that horrible day, especially since she had cried for the rest of the day back then after they were almost chased out of the park despite having payed the money.

Enju: " _(frowning)_ Yes, I remember…." she didn't like this topic of conversation and had hoped that the boy wouldn't have brought it up. Sadly, though, she was mistaken. "But this time it'll be different! I promise! I won't go on another roller coaster ride!" she tried to argue, not willing to let go of her desire to still go there. She remembered that park well and even though her time there had been short lived, she still wanted to go there again in the near future.

Rentarō: "You know we can't go back there! I told you that already!" the boy obviously didn't feel good bringing the girl's spirits down, especially that day when they were supposed to be happy together. Still, he knew he couldn't do as she wished, especially because he could still recall, crystal clear, the warning he had received before they left. "They told me that if they see my face there ever again, they'll call the police!" again, this was stuff he didn't feel happy talking about but he needed to make her realize that what she wanted was not really possible. The girl was stubborn though.

Enju: "So what? As long as I behave myself, there shouldn't be any problems, right?" the sad fact was that Enju was aware of the reality and it wasn't like she was not comprehending what the real issue was, it was the fact that she refused to acknowledge it. Rentarō knew that. Despite knowing, he still couldn't continue with the girl's fruitless attempts at trying to convince him otherwise.

Rentarō: "I can't take you to that park again! I cannot risk getting arrested and have you be taken away from me once they realize you are my Initiator!" was his final verdict, letting her know that he wasn't going to change his mind, regardless of what she would say next.

His refusal to sympathize with her only infuriated the girl again.

Enju: "This isn't fair! I only want you to make me happy on our date! Why can't you just talk to them and have them forgive us? Is it really that hard?!" much like any child her age, she wasn't really someone who you could easily reason with. Even when told why something won't work, she would persist and continue following her train of thought.

Rentarō: " _And just when I thought this morning couldn't possibly become any more_ _irritating_ _…._ " he thought to himself. He hated whenever he had to talk about these things. He knew Enju didn't enjoy listening to this same story over and over again, just as much as he despised telling it. And yet she continued to ask for it every single time apparently. He always tried his best at avoiding this subject as often as possible but she would still find ways of forcing him to do it anyways.

Enju: "Why can't I take a ride like all the normal children?! Why do I have to-..."

Rentarō: "Because you're not normal, Enju!" he suddenly interrupted, already fed up with this ordeal. Listening to her go off on a rant about how unfair the world was was not something he felt he could deal with at that point. He had been forcefully woken up from his sleep, had the crap scared out of him first thing in the morning, confronted the aftermath of what many would call the most intense calamity that their house ever experienced and was then forced to agree to go on a date later that day against his will. Truly there was only so much crap that could be shoved down a young boy's throat before he would begin to lose it. And this discussion was his limit.

Rentarō: "You know you're not like the other kids! You know you're not allowed inside that park! There's nothing I can do about that!" the girl stiffened immediately when he began speaking like that towards her. His eyes revealed how annoyed he was with her, which saddened her greatly.

Enju: "Rentarō…..I thought you were on the side of justice! Why are you agreeing with this? Why can't I be treated equally like the rest of the kids, as you once said I should be?!" she felt tears building up in her eyes. She hadn't seen this boy yell at her for a long time, so this outburst of negative energy from him threw her off a little and surprised her. Still, even after noticing her backing down all of a sudden, he didn't calm down too. He continued to push forward, now a little triggered because of her stubbornness.

Rentarō: "I warned you to not go on that ride! I was afraid that will end up happening! Now….they know. And regardless of what you'll do, they won't be satisfied with seeing you there! Cursed Children just aren't allowed in their park!" sadly for him, though, his decision to not back down too and allow the quarrel to die off would only backfire now.

Enju: "SO WHAT IF I'M A CURSED CHILD?!" she blew up instantly, radiating with as much fury as she could muster at that age while actually crying now. "I…DIDN'T CHOOSE TO BE BORN LIKE THIS! WHY IS IT MY FAULT THAT I AM THIS WAY? IT'S JUST NOT FAIR!" she began sobbing uncontrollably. Her heart ached then, a lot. "I just want to be happy….I just want to play…." she trembled quietly. "Even if I know it's wrong….even then….I want to go there!". The boy wasn't gonna let it slip that easily anymore.

Rentarō: "You can't just pretend that your problems don't exist and casually ignore them! Life isn't that convenient! Life isn't meant to be fair!" the girl began backing away, feeling her chest tightening and her tears flooding her nose all of a sudden. Seeing him this mean to her, though, made the girl say something which he had not expected.

Enju: "Why….have you become so cold to me, Rentarō?" came a surprising question from her. It was at that moment, at the utterance of that query, when the boy finally snapped out of his irrational rage and realized how much overboard he had went. "You stopped looking me in the eyes lately….you began avoiding me more and more…..even I noticed that..." her voice was already breaking and the tears were cascading down her cheeks.

Rentarō: "I….." the boy didn't know how to answer that. The real reason why he had been doing those things were something which he didn't want to reveal to her, as he thought she wasn't ready to hear them yet. "I….I've been busy lately and I'm stressed out. That's why I was like that!" he invented on the spot, not noticing how he averted his eyes from her own when saying that.

Enju: "You liar…." came her response, as she stared back furiously at him. The boy shuddered when hearing that. "I know when you lie to me Rentarō….after living with you for so long, that shouldn't surprise you! You always look away from me when you lie!" it was then when the man realized how he had been read. "You don't look at me like you used to! You look at me sometimes…..like you're afraid of me….just like right now!" his heart stopped for a second when hearing that. "Other times you try to get away from me as often as possible! Why are you starting to act like them? I thought you were different! Weren't you the one who told me that I should always trust you? That you'll always be by my side?!" finally her tears burst out even more than before and she let go of all her raw emotions. She looked in a confrontational way to him, forcing him to respond to her accusation.

Rentarō: "I…..I…." he paused for a second, not knowing how to respond in a way that will make her feel better. The truly sad thing was that if she could read his mind at that moment, and that easily no less, she would surely become even angrier with him. "You….wouldn't understand even if I told you!" was all he could come up with in the heat of the moment, especially after discovering how easy it is for him to be discovered lying. At that point the only thing he could do was try to hide the truth from her. However, little did he know that that was the worst way he could have answered her.

The girl, hurt by his pathetic response, felt her heart hurt even more at this betrayal. She felt like he had given up on her for whatever reason and she just couldn't understand why.

Furious about this turn of events, she turned away and began running out.

Rentarō: "Enju, wait!" came his order but it was quickly ignored. The girl dashed out the door of their house and began making her way towards the center of Tokyo. She knew he stood no chance in chasing her, especially given her abilities, so she took advantage of that. As soon as he also exited their house to catch her, she propelled herself upwards using her strong leg muscles and landed on a distant house in their neighborhood. Immediately after that she high-jumped another time from there to an even higher vantage point and from there to another and so on, leaving the boy way behind.

It was then when he remembered how difficult it was to chase after her. She had made her escape so quickly and cleanly that he could only gaze into the distance and approximate her general direction until even her figure would disappear from view.

Rentarō: " _(sigh)_ Why in the world does this day have to exist?!"

~2 hours later~

Rentarō: "WHERE IN THE HELL IS SHE?!" he cried in desperation. This was the last thing he needed at that point in time, to have Enju become irrational and run away from him. He hated how she always did that. He understood that she was a child and that she was prone to temper tantrums and overreactions but he had hoped that she had grown enough to eventually realize the error of her ways and act more maturely.

Rentarō: " _Then again, how much maturity can I expect out of a 10 year old girl?_ " he then rebutted his inner self when realizing how absolutely ridiculous his expectations had been. " _She ran away without taking her cellphone with her. I can't track her or get in contact with her…._ " he had to wonder how utterly pathetic he was as a Promoter given how often he had lost control of his own Initiator. If there was a record for the number of times such a thing happened, he would have won an award. " _And school should already start by now….I hate it when she skips her classes!_ " he wasn't even sure anymore if he should be mad at her for running off like the way she did or not since he was also partly at fault for exploding in her face like that. Either way, things were definitely not going as they should be.

He had searched for all of the neighborhood and, sure enough, the girl was nowhere to be found. He hadn't really expected any other outcome since he knew she wouldn't allow herself to be found that easily.

He could probably also run in the same direction she had and try to find her in the center of Tokyo but given how big the city was he doubted that that would do him much good. He also couldn't rely on the police given how shady their treatment to Cursed Children normally is, which left him as the only one who could take care of this rather unfortunate situation.

But, just as he was mentally going through all the possible locations she could have ran off to, his own phone began ringing in his pocket furiously. The teenage male pulled it out and checked the caller's name.

Rentarō: " _(sighing)_ Oh great, as if I had time for this…." he remarked sarcastically before accepting the call and putting the phone against his right ear. "Yes, Kisara-san?"

 ** **Kisara: "Rentarō, I hope I didn't wake you up. I have something very important I need to discuss with you!" came an alarmed voice from the other end of the line.****

Rentarō: "Let me guess, you want to give me chocolate too, right?" given the context, that made the most sense to him.

 ** **Kisara: "What? No! I have an assignment for you and Enju, you idiot!" the girl blushed after hearing him say that to her. Naturally he had been right when saying that but she wasn't going to admit that then, especially not after his seemingly exasperated reaction to that idea.****

When hearing this, the boy felt another clump in his stomach form as even more depression began to settle in him.

Rentarō: " _A_ _Gastrea attack?_ _Right now, of all times? Can't someone cut me a break already?! I've had it with this goddamn day!_ " he was ready to scream now because of the amount of seemingly endless misfortune that was flooding his life that day. "What's the situation?" he inquired just to get a quick summary of the assignment before he could decide if he could accept it and attempt to perform the task without Enju's help. Normally he wouldn't dare to accept a mission without his Initiator by his side but he wanted to first see how urgent the matter was before he could decide.

 ** **Kisara: "Well, the situation is quite dire: Mikubitsu Street in the northern sector has become overrun by a surge of Gastrea. An epidemic of the virus is beginning to escalate quickly there! All**** ** **local**** ** **Civil Security**** ** **companies**** ** **have**** ** **received official orders from the regional district administrators to deploy their personnel at the site as quickly as possible to combat the spread of the virus!" naturally, this didn't bode well for him. This definitely sounded like something he wouldn't be able to handle without his partner's help.****

Rentarō: "What's the cause of the outbreak? Is it another Gastrea that infiltrated the city?"

 ** **Kisara: "We don't know yet….although that's the most likely scenario. Either way though, we don't have much time on our hands! While witness reports claim that all the Gastrea involved are only in Stage I, their sheer numbers are enough to consider this an**** ** **emergency situation. Their numbers are growing exponentially because of the**** ** **increasing**** ** **count**** ** **of victims that they are constantly infecting. Current figures indicate a rough estimate of over 40 creatures running rampant….." this was enough to send shivers down the boy's spine.****

Rentarō: "40?! We are deployed only after 40 of them are already loose?!" he asked dumbfounded.

 ** **Kisara: "Sadly yes. I need you and Enju to get there as quickly as you can and do your best to handle the situation. Other Promoter-Initiator pairs will soon arrive there as well. Try to cooperate with them an-…." but she was suddenly interrupted by Rentarō clearing his throat awkwardly.****

Rentarō: "Yeah….about that…." as soon as he began his sentence that way, Kisara knew something bad would come out of his mouth. "Enju isn't really with me right now…." he began, trying to ease the bad news into the discussion very slowly and lightly to not anger Kisara too much all of a sudden.

 ** **Kisara: "….what…..do you mean by that?" sadly for him though, that didn't seem to have done much.****

Rentarō: "We had a quarrel this morning about some dumb things and she….well…..uh…..how do I put this….."

 ** **Kisara: "**** ** _ **(sighes)**_** ** **She ran away from home, didn't she?" naturally the girl figured things out quite quickly without needing Rentarō to point out the obvious. "You angered her because it's Valentine's Day and you probably said or did something insensitive to her which broke her heart and now she ran away**** ** **and**** ** **you don't know how to get back in contact with her, do you?" again, the boy shivered.****

Rentarō: "You're….pretty good. Do women communicate with each other telepathically?" he inquired half-jokingly half-scared shitless because of the accuracy of Kisara's assumptions.

 ** **Kisara: "No….you're just very predictable and easy to read! And also very horrible in understanding a girl's feelings!" that made the boy frown.****

Rentarō: "I guess I'm not particularly popular with the opposite gender after all…." the sadness in his voice when saying that was thick enough to be noticed even by Kisara across the phone line. "Anyways, all jokes aside, there's no way I can handle such a dangerous situation without Enju's help! I'll have to refuse this task!" of course, Kisara didn't like that answer.

 ** **Kisara: "Are you sure? I can assign Tina to help you temporarily as Enju's replacement!" the girl looked across the room to glance at the blonde child she was talking about. Tina was on the other side of the chamber, passively listening to the conversation Kisara was having with Rentarō while also playing with a set of cubes on the floor that she was using to build various building-esc structures by stacking them on top of each other.****

Rentarō: "No….I don't want that! A Promoter is only efficient when he's fighting alongside his own Initiator! While I do like working with Tina, I can't fight without Enju's help! You should know that better than I do, Kisara-san!" to that, the girl on the other side took a deep and heavy breath.

 ** **Kisara: "Yeah….I know. I just wanted to see if I can find a quick way out of this. Fine, take the day off and use this**** ** **free time**** ** **to find Enju! I'll find some excuse for why you two didn't show up!"**** ** **she told him with a little bit of sorrow in her voice because of another ditched assignment that could have earned their company some money. She wasn't going to forgive Rentarō for this easily, she thought to herself.****

~Same time, random park in Tokyo~

She cried, even though she hated it. Her tears were burning and she felt like she was almost at the point of drowning in them because of how much got in her nose.

Enju was currently sitting on a bench in a park, sobbing all by herself as passerby strangers would occasionally glance at her. Some of them stared at her for quite some time as many would do when seeing a little girl all alone and crying like that. One even offered to help her but as soon as he got a good glimpse of her red eyes, the man immediately backed off and left her alone.

While it was common there to help children in need of support, it was even more common to avoid Cursed Children at all costs, for obvious reasons. Isolated and without any moral support, the girl would keep to herself and try to calm her unsettled nerves as much as she could by herself.

Enju: "Stupid Rentarō….why did he have to say those things today, of all days?!" she now officially hated Valentine's Day. And it was all because of him.

She couldn't understand him, regardless of how much she had tried. He, her own Promoter, the person who she was supposed to be the happiest with, especially after becoming her fiance (from her point of view anyway), should have been there to cater to her every whim and make her happy. And even though this was the perfect occasion for them to become lovey-dovey with each other and repair their slowly degenerating relationship, it only backfired completely because of a stupid argument.

She didn't even know whose fault it was anymore since the quarrel had escalated so quickly. Not that it mattered by that point.

Enju: "I just wanted a date….one date to be happy! And a kiss! Why can't he give it to me?!" she felt miserable and humiliated at the same time. While to some extent she kind of understood Rentarō's point of view, it still felt awfully unfair how society was treating her. Nobody would side with her, nobody would be there for her, hell, she couldn't even go on a date to an amusement park anymore. And while she thought she was used to all of those things and wouldn't allow herself to be bothered by them as much as she had used to, now even Rentarō was becoming part of the problem as well. This was the reason she got so mad.

Him, her most trusted ally, began to start siding with everyone else against her. That hurt her, especially now when she was so tired from working so hard on those stupid chocolates.

Enju: "Wait…..the chocolates!" she suddenly remembered them. She pushed her hand in her jacket and pulled out a box of chocolates from it. "I….forgot to give Rentarō his gift…." she realized in-between sobs. The box remained unopened so it was still possible for her to give them to him. The only real problem now was the circumstances. She didn't want to see him again, especially not in that unstable state. She needed to pull herself together and try to get a hold of her emotions.

Enju: "It's no use….I'll never get him to love me….especially not after he started looking at me like that…." for whatever reason, she could remember Rentarō's eyes whenever he would glance at her lately. While before he had love and compassion in his gaze, now he was more reserved, usually avoiding contact with her and being especially wary of her for some reason. She couldn't really understand that. Why had he become so distant? Was it because of something she had done in the past? What was it though?

Try as she might she couldn't understand his reasoning but, now, one thing became clear: their relationship was over. With him having changed his attitude towards her like that, she knew she couldn't really expect any kind of reciprocal love anymore from her fiance. It was over….

That thought felt especially jarring to her heart. She felt so mad because of it that she inadvertently began to squeeze the box holding her chocolates, deforming it slightly.

Enju: "I just don't get it! Why doesn't he love me anymore?! What did I do?! I just wanted some to-…." but before she could finish that thought she heard a strong noise in the distance coming from somewhere deeper within the city. At a closer inspection of the sound, Enju could determine that it must have been an alarm….and not just any alarm: it was the Gastrea attack alarm installed in Tokyo. She recognized it because she had heard that particular alarm so many times in the past she could almost hear it in her sleep by that point.

It meant that, somewhere within the city, a Gastrea had been detected and that it was still at large. The girl tensed up when hearing that and began pondering.

Enju: " _Great….now of all times_ " she thought to herself. She thought about leaving the alarm to play out in the background for a second while she would continue to sink in her own misery. However, that thought quickly faded away and was replaced by a different idea: what if she would stop worrying about her failed love life and focus for an hour or so on something entirely different for a change? Wouldn't that make her feel any better? If nothing else, it would at least act as a distraction, right?

She hated the idea and normally she would never go into any battle without her Promoter at her side but this time she felt like she needed some moments without Rentarō. And while she could have done that just as easily by hiding in that park, she needed something to get her mind off of him as well. This was a great opportunity for just that.

Realizing that fact, the girl conceded to at least take a closer look at the catastrophe taking place deeper within Tokyo. And so she began running towards the city and out of the park.

~20 minutes later, close to Mikubitsu Street~

Even with the speed granted upon her by the Gastrea virus, it still took Enju a lot of time to get to the source of the widespread panic happening in that city. She used random civilians for information about the exact location of the Gastrea outbreak. By such means, she eventually reached her desired destination.

Enju: " _I hope I can do_ _something_ _to help….maybe if it's just a Stage I then I can take it down mys-…._ " but before she could finish that thought, she was already greeted by a sight to behold: tens of Gastrea were running rampant, all Spider types and all crawling across various buildings in the neighborhood. The creatures were roaming on the outside edges of the buildings, crawling on top of the windows and looking inside, trying to find any signs of any humans hiding inside which they could potentially infect.

The site was so dangerous and sinister that the girl had shivers crawl across her spine by merely looking at it.

Enju: "Wow….this is bad" was all she could add to that horrific sight. Looking around and taking in her surroundings, she finally took notice of an easy prey: a lone spider lurking on the ground without any seemingly obvious goal. That one should be easy for her to deal with. "GOT YOU!" she yelled before sprinting towards the humongous creature.

The spider quickly caught glimpse of her and responded accordingly by taking an offensive stance, raising its torso and spreading its forelegs in an intimidating fashion. The girl ignored the gesture and sprinted rapidly towards the enemy, before jumping high in the air taking advantage of its opened posture to strike directly with a kick to its heart. Still, that soon turned out to be a rather poor plan as immediately afterwards, another spider Gastrea jumped out of a nearby bush even faster and attempted to intercept the flying Initiator. Since she was already in midair, Enju couldn't do anything to steer herself or dodge the incoming hostile creature which had leaped towards her.

Enju: " _Crap…._ " she immediately felt her heart skip a beat as the entire show began playing in slow-motion in front of her eyes, as her brain went into overdrive mode to find any possible escape possibilities before she would be literally eaten alive while still flying. Sadly for her, though, it could find none.

But, despite all of this, her salvation came in the form of another Cursed Child who arrived in the nick of time, also by jumping in and intercepting this new spider before it could get to Enju. The girl kicked the flying spider in midair, changing its trajectory and making it fly off in a different direction as Enju continued with her flight and smashed her foot into the originally targeted spider.

Both hit their targets perfectly and Enju's kick proved to be strong enough to break apart the first spider with ease. The redhead landed happily on both her feet, unharmed and thankful to be alive.

Enju: "I…..almost died…." she concluded, still clearly shaken by what had transpired mere seconds before.

Yuzuki: "You tell me?! What the hell were you even thinking?! Do you have a death wish?!" came the all too familiar voice of a pretty well known blonde girl: Yuzuki Katagiri, the Initiator of the Katagiri siblings. The new Initiator stared in both disbelief and anger at the redhead, throwing glares so sharp Enju felt a bad nauseating sensation in her stomach.

Enju: "Oh…..hi Yuzuki!" even though Enju and Yuzuki were friends, and Yuzuki had even saved her life just then, Enju felt a little bit bad at that point about their meeting considering her situation,

Yuzuki: "Don't you 'hi' me! Seriously, what was going through your mind to not have realized that that was an obvious trap?! If it wasn't for me, you would have ended up as that gross thing's meal!" naturally, some scolding was in order. Enju knew very well she had fucked up, even more than how Rentarō usually fucks up. She had been way beyond reckless and that put her life at great risk.

Enju: "Well…..I…." she tried thinking up an excuse on the spot but nothing was really good enough to justify the gravity of her mistake.

Tamaki: "Don't be so rough on the girl, Yuzuki! She clearly regrets what she did!" came another new voice, this one belonging to a teenage man. This time it was the other sibling, the Promoter one of the duo, Tamaki Katagiri. The blond man walked up to Enju, squatted down so that their faces would be on the same level and took off his sunglasses to look at her directly. "Although I do have to admit that was a pretty reckless move, Enju! Why did you do that? Did Rentarō tell you to try that spider like that?" he inquired while visually inspecting her body to see if she had any wounds on herself. The girl shook her head in response.

Enju: "Well….no….not really" she hesitated, debating in her mind if she should reveal the fact that she had ran away from Rentarō and was acting by herself. While that would certainly bring even more scolding from Yuzuki's part, it was also an obvious thing to conclude eventually since Rentarō was clearly not there by her side. Even if she tried hiding it, they would figure it out at some point so she might as well be honest. "He's not really here…." she confessed, shocking the duo a lot.

Yuzuki: "Ha?! He's not?! And you've ventured into the battlefield all by yourself?!" when seeing the girl finally nod at this, the blonde got even more infuriated. "You're….really asking to get killed, aren't you?!" while Yuzuki was usually full of herself and critical of many things related to fighting, she was especially direct then, considering how Enju was her friend and had endangered her own life pointlessly. "Where is that stupid idiot anyway?!" she inquired, obviously referring to Rentarō.

Enju: "He's….well….we kinda had a nasty fight and he doesn't know that I'm here…." when hearing that, the two siblings looked at each other, not really sure how to take in this issue, worried about what was going on. Given the circumstances, they didn't know if they should try to convince Enju to go back home to safety or at the very least ask for her help in this situation.

But, that got answered very quickly when a sudden shriek was heard when one of the spiders on top of a nearby building, noticing the corpse of one of its peers, noisily announced the other Gastrea in the immediate vicinity about their new preys. Consequently, swarms of giant spiders began to crawl out the windows of nearby apartments, each catching glimpses of the new targets and all mobilizing and beginning to jump down onto the ground and approach the three humans.

Yuzuki: "Tsk….these pesky things found out about us!" she declared, trying to scan for all of them and mentally map their locations while they were approaching.

Tamaki: "Yeah….we're gonna have to discuss your personal problems a bit later, Enju. Right now….we have a situation on our hands…." he complemented his sister's earlier statement before pulling out his iconic chainsaws and equipping them to his fists and also starting the motors, readying himself for the imminent battle. "For what it's worth, we've been stealthily scanning the area before you came. We were trying to see what their objective was and maybe even find the source of this infection. We knew they were setting traps around here to catch unsuspecting victims but we didn't want to attract their attention by trying to stop them so that we could learn some things…." he revealed.

Yuzuki: "Yeah….that was until you blindly attacked one of them, falling into the trap and forcing us out in the open like this to rescue you….Good job!" came the spiteful reply of the annoying sister. Enju ignored that.

Tamaki: "Anyways, we've found out that their numbers are above forty, now reaching close to fifty by the looks of it. If this keeps up they'll soon become a real nuisance to contain. I guess this is the best time to mow them down!" seeing as how they were becoming surrounded very fast, the boy began considering to make a proposition for the young redhead. "I don't really know if this is a good idea to ask, given your situation and how distraught you seem to be right now but….would you mind lending us a hand? Right now we have only two more Promoter-Initiator pairs nearby to help us and I don't think they'll be enough. We need all the help we can get!" the girl responded without even a sign of hesitation in her voice to that offer.

Enju: "Count me in!" came a determined acceptance from the lone Initiator, worrying both of the two about the lack of fear in Enju's voice.

Yuzuki: " _(sigh)_ _I guess she really does have a death wish!_ "

~Enju's school~

Teacher: "I'm sorry to say I didn't see her at all today. I can't help you!" Enju's Japanese language teacher told the poor worried boy. Rentarō let out another sigh, his tenth that day, because of another false lead.

Rentarō: "Thank you for your time…." the boy replied disgruntled. He turned around and began making his exit. He didn't know what else to do. He had already figured that Enju wouldn't have come to school that day but he gave it a shot anyways since there were very few other places he knew he could search.

But just as his hope was dimming more and more he heard his phone ringing once again. The boy brought it up to his face, only to confirm that it was the same caller as before. Worrying that the Gastrea situation might have taken a turn for the worse, he quickly answered:

Rentarō: "Yes, Kisara-san?" came the invariable reply.

 ** **Kisara: "Rentarō, are you by any chance close to a TV?" came a desperate voice from the other side, this time sounding**** ** **even more**** ** **distressed and alarmed**** ** **than how it had been that morning**** ** **. The boy immediately frowned, knowing from the tone that this was going to be some really bad news.****

Rentarō: "No….I'm not at home right now. Why?" naturally, he didn't know what to make of this and decided to inquire for further information.

 ** **Kisara: "It's Enju! She's**** ** **at the Gastrea infestation location apparently! She's currently fighting the creatures alongside Yuzuki and Tamaki!"****

Rentarō: "NANI?!"

~Half an hour later~

The fight was slowly becoming quite tedious for them. Everything was escalating very quickly and they weren't exactly in the best position. Spider after spider, the area was becoming more and more filled with giant arachnids running along and targeting the humans next to them. Even in such a crowded and not particularly friendly environment, the three were doing quite fine for themselves, although they were slowly becoming quite fed up.

Yuzuki, in particular, was getting very annoyed by the amount of stamina she had expended that day and the seemingly endless waves of giant insects still alive and charging at them.

Yuzuki: "These stupid things are too many!" she yelled back to her Promoter, who was also deeply invested and in the heat of the battle.

Tamaki: "Yeah….I can tell" he sarcastically remarked, waving his chainsaws at all the bugs around him trying to get even a scratch on their bodies. Even though they were outnumbered more than ten to one, they were still holding their ground quite well. "It's times like these when I actually wish this city installed a pest control system that actually worked! I'm getting sick of having us do all the dirty work like this!" he finished that sentence while successfully slashing at and cutting in half one of the arachnids while another one quickly backed away all of a sudden from him.

Yuzuki: "It's far too easy for these things to spread! Maybe we should retreat?" she pessimistically proposed with a tint of bitterness in her voice.

Tamaki: "No…..not right now! We already cut through their numbers a lot! If we retreat now, we'll only allow them to regroup! We need to push forwards until we splatter each and every single one of their brains out!" came the brother's rather brutal assertion. "Come on! Their numbers are dwindling! Don't lose your momentum!" he kept on encouraging while mostly dedicating his attention to the enemies right in front of him.

Yuzuki would have wanted to complain even more but just as she opened her mouth, a flying Enju sped over her head and landed a very strong kick on another nearby insect. The kick not only was powerful enough to instantly collapse the head of the creature in and effectively kill it but it was also sufficient to propel her small body in a different direction in the air again and land another kick on another nearby insect. Again, she used this to catapult herself into yet another enemy. This established chain of killing continued until five different spiders were killed in just one series of hops from one to the next, impressing both siblings.

Yuzuki: "Wow….she's really into this…." the view of seeing her redheaded friend fly like that with so much determination was both impressive but worrying at the same time. " _She at no point took the time to fall back onto the ground and carefully inspect each creature…._ _she just went from one to the next without even taking a break to analyze the risks….._ _she's being too reckless right now…._ " was her conclusion of the situation. Truthfully she was a little bit happy that Enju was being that straightforward and determined because it was quickly cutting away at their enemies' numbers but, at the same time, the girl was only begging to be attacked because of the amount of mistakes that she was making. While none of those creatures had the mental capabilities of outsmarting any one of them and lure them into a complex trap, especially not after they had all become engaged in battle, Enju's acting was still leaving her open to far too many opportunities.

The girl in question landed on the ground, breathing heavily while also looking around her environment with a completely worried expression. She didn't look like she was scanning for more spiders though, it felt more like she was looking for something else.

Enju: " _I need to finish this battle and get out of here quickly! Rentarō_ _probably_ _heard already that I'm here….I can't waste too much time on these things!_ " she didn't want to confront the teenage boy, especially not yet. After all, she had decided she needed more time alone so her seeing him would not be for the best. Sadly for her plans, though, the creatures were still many and the battle didn't seem like it would end very soon.

Still, that very quickly changed when all the spiders in the area, having all witnessed the chain killing of their brethren, got scared by the little girl's overzealous attitude and realized that they weren't in the best of places there. Almost like on cue, all of them began ignoring the humans and retreating so as to escape the menace of the little girl they were leaving behind. Naturally, this was a very welcomed development for Enju.

Yuzuki: "Wait…..are you serious?! They're running away now?!" she stared in disbelief before glancing at Enju. Her friend, having noticed her stare, awkwardly laughed back in response, a little amazed herself by her own newly founded infamy among the monsters.

Tamaki: "We can't let them escape! They'll only end up hurting more people! Go after them a-…." and a sudden screech interrupted the boy's order, bringing all the attention from the humans onto a newly appeared giant flying creature, this one hovering right above their heads. "What…..in the hell is that thing?!" the boy suddenly asked after having noticed its surprising presence.

When noticing their discovery of itself, the insect immediately plunged down onto the ground among the group of three, forcing all of them to disband and jump in different directions, farther away from each other with itself in the middle. This was yet another giant spider Gastrea, much like the ones before it.

This one, however, was quite different in a number of ways: for one, it had a particularly larger body, approximately 40% bigger, a fully black colored body (whereas the ones before it were golden in color) and a pair of fly-eque wings attached to its back that allowed it to fly.

This gargantuan enemy was probably the least desired guest on that battlefield. Since it was both a giant spider that most definitely had the same abilities as its friends but also had the ability to fly, the only conclusion anyone there could make was an obvious one.

Yuzuki: "A Stage II Gastrea? How did this thing get into our city unnoticed until now?!" the girl complained audibly as her brother was also trying to recover from his shock.

Tamaki: "I don't know….but it's very likely that this is the one that started the infection here! We need to stop it before it flies off and spreads the disease even further!" he remarked, with a very tense body and sweat clearly dripping off his face. He was gritting his teeth because of the stress and his internal debating: at that point they were alone, as the other Promoter-Initiator pairs had almost certainly gone after the stampede of spiders that had ran away from them a minute before. Given that they were only one Promoter and two Initiators, the chances of them taking on and actually winning a fight against a Stage II Gastrea were microscopic. But at the same time, if they were to retreat, the creature would get the chance to escape via flight and cause even more chaos in a different part of the city afterwards. They were the only ones who could stop it. And that complicated things a lot.

Tamaki: "Tsk….this is a very nasty situation here…." he audibly complained, so low in volume that the two Initiators couldn't even hear him. But before he could finish that thought and make a proper decision on what to actually do, the Gastrea took the liberty to initiate its attack on them by spreading out one of its hind legs and using the other ones to push its body in a spinning motion, doing a full ballerina-like 360 degrees rotation. The spread-out leg acted as a weapon as its body rotated as it was an attempt to hit all of the humans that were in a circle around it. They were smart enough, though, to dodge the attack and back away from the ferocious giant insect.

Enju, being in her hurried impatient state, couldn't really accept this situation that happily. She wanted to finish that fight before Rentarō would show up and find her there. But that was seemingly becoming less and less likely by the second, especially because of that monster's undesired appearance. Naturally she could also make a run for it and flee but doing so would almost guarantee her friends' deaths, something which she could not afford. Clearly her decision to have taken part in that fight was an ill one.

Enju: " _Come on already! Why is it that this day just keeps getting worse and worse?!_ " she needed to do something and do it fast. She needed to find that creature's weakness and exploit it to the maximum of her abilities. And she needed to do all of those things as quickly as possible.

But before she could think up of any way to do so, her fears were proven to be justified as an all too familiar voice resonated through the air, catching everyone's attention.

Rentarō: "Enju!" came the voice of her Promoter, barely escaping his heavy panting as he was rather pathetically running out of breath because of his fully tired out body after all the running he had to do in order to get to that location. He was so tired, apparently from his marathon across half the city that he could barely even feel his feet, much less be concerned about his less than impressive entrance into the stage.

Yuzuki: "Oh great….the pervert is finally here…." naturally, the girl was not particularly impressed by that failed and utterly pitiful performance. But as she was very dismissive of such an act, her friend, Enju, was mortified.

The girl panicked, knowing that her body was also worn out, mostly because of having fought that horde of giant spiders before, so she wouldn't be able to run away from him as easily anymore. Conflicted between running away or confronting him, the girl was scrambling around trying to make a decision.

Her distraught demeanor didn't go unnoticed, though, and the insect, catching a glimpse of her miniature panic, decided to take advantage of the weakest link in their formation and took the opportunity to attack Enju. Dashing forward, the spider rapidly rose one of its forelegs and tried using it as a blunt weapon to strike at the girl.

Enju responded accordingly and dodged the attack by jumping backwards. Because of her emotional distraction, though, she didn't really think through her plan and jumped at an inopportune angle and crashed into a tree behind her, leaving her immobilized for just a second. The spider continued its attack, seizing the chance and raising its leg once again. This time, sadly, it did connect and Enju didn't have the reaction time necessary to avoid this second attack again.

The leg broke her left shoulder's skin and the impact dug the leg deep into the girl's flesh as she had risen her arm at the last second instinctively to protect her head from the blow. This proved somewhat effective and she had mitigated some of the damage, although her arm quickly lost all of its senses. The girl grabbed the embedded leg with her other arm, trying to push it out but the insect seized the chance and pulled the girl with its other arm closer to its head before opening its mouth widely and surprising the girl with the disgusting view of its digestive tract. The girl had never been afraid of spiders before that day. She had considered them mere pests worth squashing and killing but nothing to be particularly afraid of.

Only then, after looking at the innards of that monster, did she actually understand what it must have felt like for insects all around the world to be captured and eaten alive by this particular type of predator.

Her body froze, incapable of even thinking at the horrific sight before her, and she wet herself right there. The spider yanked her right shoulder, with the arm still embedded into it, towards its mouth and brutally sank its fangs into it. The girl yelled like she had never yelled before.

What was the most horrifying to her wasn't even the feeling of the disgusting saliva of the creature, nor the obvious pain-killing toxin that such a saliva was obviously coated with as the pain felt artificially lessened. What was the worst about it was the fact that the mouth lacked any sort of tongue, teeth or any features that would have at least indicated that it once came from a human being's body. It had very small, almost imperceptible fangs just under its lips, fangs that clearly had orifices in them meant to inject venom in its victims. Enju's face became white at the thought of what was going on: this monster was further infecting her body with more of the virus.

But just as she was thinking that, an explosion was heard and the creature's head blew up in a shower of body fluids as a Black Bullet penetrated its skull. As soon as that happened, its body collapsed and the girl fell down, trembling greatly.

Rentarō: "ENJU!" the boy, panicking like never before, ran up to her as soon as he had lowered his gun. He couldn't believe himself. It took him that long to appropriately respond to that creature's assault on his Initiator. Granted, he had been fully exhausted from having run a marathon through the city of Tokyo but still, he felt even more disgusted with himself than before because of his incapability of saving Enju in time.

Rentarō: "Enju! Are you alright?! Speak to me!" he frantically cried to the girl, with clear worry in his voice. The girl didn't respond to his voice immediately though. She had a very white face with a detached look in her eyes. She had been traumatized so much by that incident that she couldn't even respond normally to Rentarō's concerned arrival.

That didn't last very long, though, as the pain in her left shoulder pulled her mind back into that realm, as a jarring shock came over her body almost instantly and her arm started to swell very fast, initially from the bite region and spreading outwards quickly, as the virus was starting to consume her body slowly.

Enju: "R…Rentarō…." she suddenly formed even more tears around her eyes then, shaking very badly and remembering at that moment how painful it was for her to have been damaged so badly. Blood was still pouring from her arm in great amounts, something which did the boy noticed easily.

Rentarō: "It's OK….it's OK! Everything's going to be OK, Enju!" he tried to reassure her as he began noticing that she was starting to panic, most likely because of the pain that was radiating through her body because of the rapidly corrupting infection. To be entirely honest, the boy had never seen such a swollen wound in his entire life up until that point.

Enju: "No….it's not!" she said between sobs. She extended both her arms in a sign that she wanted to hug him but that quickly failed when another jolt of pain ran through her. Her stomach began to growl furiously and she felt her internal organs around her body began to move randomly inside of her, in a way she had never felt before. It was almost like her body was acquiring a mind of its own.

And it was at that point when the girl realized what was going on: the virus was finally taking over her system.

Rentarō: "Don't worry! We already called the ambulance! They should get here fast and it wo-…." but the girl rapidly responded to that statement.

Enju: "NO!" she yelled back at him, this time earning a confused look from him. "Don't let them come here! It's already too l-….." but again, another jolt passed through her, this time so strong and powerful that many muscles in her own body began to enter spasms. Her back arched in a straight line and her limbs visibly jolted quickly. Rentarō didn't really understand what was going on. He thought for a second that maybe the girl was responding to the scare she had received from that spider just earlier.

Rentarō: "Enju…..what's wrong? Why are you-…." but his voice came to a depressive stop all of a sudden when he noticed her red eyes starting to glow even brighter than ever before. That was a dead giveaway and it was finally at that point when Rentarō realized it: Enju's body was turning into a Gastrea.

* * *

Toshimaen: a real life amusement park quite popular in Tokyo. Famous for many of its rides, Toshimaen is one of those attractions many tourists decide to visit when traveling to Japan.


	3. Cry for help

Her arm was incredibly swollen, so much so that she could even feel it pulsating by itself within the rhythm of her heart beats. The pain was indescribable and her body was beginning to heat up rapidly into a developing fever, a clear indication that her immune response was kicking in and trying to fight off the new infection.

Still, it was losing the battle, and she could feel it. Within herself, to her very core, she could sense how her entire body was transforming very fast, as her internal organs were quickly changing shape and size. The intensity of those changes were so grating to her psyche that she could only grit her teeth trying to not lose her mind fully.

Her skin was changing hue and shifted from its natural normal color to a light blue which contrasted greatly with the eyes which began to glow a bright and pungent red.

Enju: "I…..can't…..control myself….." she was crying, tears now flowing from her eyes more than ever before. She was barely keeping herself sane, especially since she was fully aware of the situation she was going through. "Rentarō" she cried helplessly in his arms, looking at him with a face he never in his entire life thought she would make.

He looked into those eyes and could only see fear, confusion, disorientation, almost panic even. The girl was clearly scared and didn't know how to grasp the situation and, as such, was looking at him for comfort. The only problem is, he had very little he could do.

Rentarō: "I…." he froze. He knew what he could do, but at the same time he didn't know if he should attempt it. He knew that he was going to risk his job and his life by doing that…...or maybe even the fate of humanity. But at the same time….he didn't know what else to even attempt.

His own confusion and restlessness were just as obvious to her as her own ones were to him. They both understood what was going on and they didn't know what to do at that point. But, again, they were running out of time, and another sudden, yet almost paralyzing wave of shock came through the girl's body, running across her entire being and forcing even more spasms out of her as her entire anatomy continued to shift in unnatural and truly terrifying ways.

Enju: "It….hurts….." she couldn't bear it anymore. Hell, even if she could psychologically take more of the damage, she knew by that point that her body wouldn't as the infection was spreading more and more, especially since the convulsions were aiding the virus particles inside of her by having her body shake and forcing the pathogens to flow farther away from the initial infection site through the blood to cover even more flesh. Her immune system could do very little at that point to contain the damage, especially since it had already been weakened all those years before by the already existing virus strain she had suffered from all her life. Finally, her body was giving away and the all-too-expected day of suffering that was meant to inevitably arrive at some point was there before them.

Rentarō: "Enju….I…." he had to tell her. As her Promoter he had to be honest and reveal to her what was going on, even if she already knew. It was part of his duty to be blunt and clear about things in that situation with her. The only problem was that he wasn't capable of that.

Even though he had thought that he had been ready all his life and that when the day would come for him to fulfill his duty he would do it flawlessly, he wasn't able to then when he had to actually do it. Maybe it was because he was seeing the girl in so much pain before him that was making him lose concentration to summon to courage to tell her the truth, or maybe he was just too shaken up by the previous fight with that Gastrea. Regardless of reason, though, he just couldn't tell her that she was about to turn into a monster in the next couple of minutes.

The girl, when seeing the painful face he was making, understood immediately the internal conflicts he was probably going through. Even if she was the one who was suffering physically at that point, she could still understand his own issues when looking into his eyes.

She didn't see the fear and disconnection that he had exhibited before in the last couple of days towards her. In fact, for the first time in probably a couple of weeks, she saw what she had longed for for such a long time: care for her own person.

The boy was looking at her with eyes filled with pity, of complete shock but also with love. He was actually feeling scared because of her and he wasn't trying to hide it. After all, she could tell when he would lie to her or be dishonest, and that was not one of those times: he was genuinely saddened by her soon death.

Enju: "I…..was wrong…." she finally built up the will to speak, even though the pain was making her voice shake like never before. Even with her trembling vocalization, she was still able to make actual discernible words, which made the boy even sadder. "You…..do care for me after all….." she smiled a small smile through her pain-contorted face while closing her eyes warmingly.

Rentarō: "Don't talk! It's OK! We'll get through this!" he encouraged, grabbing her right hand desperately and squeezing it. The girl was happy and even though she barely had any power left, she squeezed his hand back, letting him know that she was still in some control of her own body, for now.

Enju: "Thank you….Rentarō! Honestly, this is the best Valentine's gift I could have asked for!" she was burning hot. Her body felt like an oven operating at full potential: it was hot on the outside but probably an entire inferno on the inside.

When seeing this spectacle in front of her, Yuzuki, clearing fearful for what was about to happen, began rushing towards the duo.

Yuzuki: "What the hell are you waiting for?! Can't you see she already turned blue?! She's about to-…." but she was stopped in her tracks by her brother stepping in front of her and signaling her to cease her actions.

Tamaki: "Don't interrupt them! Let them be together!" he ordered her in a serious low tone, the type of tone he would never use unless he was dead serious about a situation, which surprised her.

Yuzuki: "But she clearly doesn't have much time left! He's risking too much by letting h-…." he pushed his index finger over her lips, forcing her into silence suddenly.

Tamaki: "I know….just give them a couple more minutes…." he requested, looking into her eyes in a way which suggested that she had very rarely seen from her brother. He had very rarely been this dedicated about anything in his life before. Frankly, she was so surprised by this fact alone that she conceded and followed his wish, letting the two enjoy their moment together.

Enju, in the meantime, pulled herself together, at least as much as she could conceivably achieve given her circumstances, and pushed her hand into her jacket and pulled the box of chocolates she had prepared the night before out. Barely even breathing normally and shaking like she was freezing even though her body was sweating and burning intensely, she handed the box to the boy there, who only stared at her in pure surprise.

Enju: "Here…..I hope you like them! I did my best!" his eyes began to produce tears, him barely being able to hold them back. He didn't want to grab that box. He felt like if he took it from her, he would never see her again. He didn't want to allow that to happen so he hesitated.

Seeing this, the girl insisted.

Enju: "Please….Rentarō! Take it!" she begged, with a face that betrayed desperation. For whatever reason, it felt like he would be betraying her if he continued to refuse her from accepting that gift, especially then. He wanted so much to refuse her but he eventually forced himself to accept it, since he didn't have the heart to refuse a young girl looking at him pleadingly like that.

Rentarō: "Thank you….." his tears were almost on the verge of breaking loose. He could barely control them anymore. Still, he did everything he could to keep them in check, if nothing else as a futile attempt at trying to be strong there for her and convey a sense of security and stability to not allow her to panic.

Enju: "Happy Valentine's Day, Rentarō! I would ask you to kiss me but I think we can both agree that that wouldn't be a good idea right now…." she revealed that she knew what was going on in her body. The Gastrea virus is transmissible via body fluids, that was a well known fact in that world, so her saying this at that point meant that she was aware of the fact that the virus was finally taking over her body and she became a transmission vector for it.

Rentarō: "You…..know then?" he pointlessly asked, prompting her to nod her head in response.

Enju: "I've known this day would come all my life. They told us that every day since we were old enough to talk…..I can't really say I was oblivious to this" her small body was beginning to break down and starting to transform. Her legs began to grow uncontrollably fast, as their internal bones were changing shape and becoming more rigid and joint-y, the equivalent of spider legs. This made the boy realize they didn't have that much time left.

Enju: "Instead….I'll ask a different favor from you…." she was now mumbling, as her vocal cords also began to change and she couldn't use them to produce normal human speech any longer. "Please…..kill me!" she requested, finally letting out some amount of fear once again, revealing that she was becoming desperate once again. Clearly her body was now out of her control and this was scaring her to no end, so it was only a natural thing to ask. Hell, it was also a natural thing for him to do, given his job. Honestly, he was already stalling too much for time and should have ended her life long before that point, given normal protocol.

Rentarō: "I….." again, he froze. Those words would forever haunt his nightmares for the rest of his life, regardless of what would happen next, he was sure of that. Enju began squeezing his hand even tighter than ever, becoming even more insistent than before.

Enju: "Please, Rentarō! I don't want to hurt anyone! Don't let me hurt anyone!" the amount of fear he could sense from her was truly stupefying. Now, the time has come. Now he had to make a decision: either listen to her and put her out of her misery already or try the alternative idea he had.

And, as much as he used to listen to Enju's every request in the past, now was the moment when he decided that he should probably try something new out.

He quickly let go her of hand and pushed it into his own jacket. There, he grabbed a syringe that he had been keeping there for just this situation. Without any hesitation and fully determined, he loaded the syringe gun and placed it against her skin right at the infectious wound.

Enju: "Wait….what are yo-..." but she was interrupted by another burst of pain, this time though by the gun firing the antiviral drugs directly into her bloodstream. The boy had injected her with the Erosion Resistance Shot she would normally take daily.

But….that perplexed her. What good would that medication do? Wasn't it already too late for that? Clearly her erosion rate already went passed 50% so that drug would be useless. But then again, when looking in his eyes again for answers, she figured it out: the boy wasn't expecting it to do anything either, he was just panicking and trying out anything that could go through his mind. He clearly didn't want to kill her so he was ready to attempt anything else other than the obvious solution.

Enju: "Rentarō" she didn't know what to do to convince him to go through with it. After all, they had already become quite close together for the past months, so him killing her must have been very daunting a task for her Promoter. She wanted to know of a way to aid him but that soon disappeared from her mind as one final shock-wave ran through her body a final time, this one being the finishing blow.

This was partly because of the drug that began to attack the virus which went into overdrive to hurry her metamorphosis to preserve itself inside her body. This time her being began mutating visibly quicker than before, as her limbs fully shape shifted into spider legs and a giant lump began growing from within her body. The lump expanded her torso and abdomen like a balloon inflating, as even more legs started to grow out of nowhere from the sides and grew out.

Rentarō immediately ran backwards away from the transforming creature and pulled his gun out aiming for it, not shooting though. He just remained there aiming while waiting to see what would happen. He watched in horror as the body of what used to be his beloved Initiator contort and twist itself while sprouting organs that had no business being attached to a human being. The change didn't even take long, it lasted for less than twelve seconds, but it was long enough to feel like an eternity as the young man stared with his mouth agape while feeling his soul being ripped apart with each passing second.

When finally transformed, the newly established Gastrea looked around itself and noticed the prey closest to it which happened to be the teen boy. Acknowledging his proximity as well as taking advantage of his defenseless paralyzed self, the creature charged at it in an attempt to continue spreading the virus even further.

It would have been too late for him to dodge and his life would have been over had it not been for Yuzuki jumping in very quickly and pushing him out of the way of the attack at the last second. The two landed onto the ground nearby as the spider barely missed them and tried to prepare itself for a second charge. This time, however, it was assaulted by Tamaki trying to distract its attention and keep it busy with himself as the two would sort things out for themselves.

Yuzuki: "You complete fucking buffoon! What in the world happened to you back there? Did you suffer a stroke and paralyze midway through your exchange with Enju?!" she exploded in his face while he was still on the ground, trying to recover from the trauma of having watched his partner change into a horrifying creature of nightmares.

Rentarō: "I couldn't do it….." he replied very softly, almost like being ashamed of himself for what he had just commented. "I couldn't finish her off! She was looking at me so innocently and with so much fear in her eyes…...how could I kill her?!" he used the most accurate description of his reasoning that he could make. That, sadly, did not do much in Yuzuki's eyes.

Yuzuki: "So what?! What did you expect her to look like?! She wasn't going to punch you in the gut to convince you to kill her!" obviously this back and forth wasn't really helping their situation as Tamaki was having a rough time dealing with the enraged beast by himself. Normally a Level I Gastrea is an easy target, even for a Promoter working alone, however Spider type Gastrea are notoriously difficult to handle in close ranged combat. Since his only means of offense was close range, he was in a rather difficult position and required the assistance of his bickering friends.

Tamaki: "WILL YOU TWO STOP WITH YOUR DRAMA AND GET OVER HERE?!" he tried to get them out of their annoying dispute. Still, they somehow still managed to ignore him and keep on doing their thing, which made the boy sigh in even more annoyance as he was barely even dodging the incoming blows from the former Cursed Child.

Rentarō, being in his overly depressed and fed up state he had been in since the very beginning of that day, finally snapped at the girl in front of him for being so cold towards the entire situation and reciprocated her fury with his own.

Rentarō: "HOW CAN YOU BE SO CRUEL TO HER?! SHE WAS YOUR FRIEND, YOU KNOW?! WOULD YOU BE ABLE TO KILL HER SUDDENLY WHEN SHE WAS SO VULNE-….." but his rage got interrupted prematurely by a slap to the face from the girl in front of him, clearly just as fed up with him as he was with her.

Yuzuki: "YES I WOULD! DON'T YOU FUCKING REALIZE IN HOW MUCH PAIN SHE IS RIGHT NOW?!" this statement, while feeling not much more impressive than any of the other ones she had thrown that day, was sufficient to finally make the boy realize what Yuzuki had been trying to tell him for a good couple of minutes by that point. The girl, seeing his confused look and his clearly concerned face, sighed deeply before raising up to her feet and pointing with her index finger at the spider who was fighting her brother in the distance.

Yuzuki: "How do you think she's feeling right now, fighting us, her former friends, like this? How do you think she's feeling, being in that disgusting grotesque body, fighting for the enemy she had fought against all her time as an Initiator until today? Does your puny little brain think that she wants to still be alive right now in this situation? DOES IT NOT THINK THAT HER BEING THIS WAY IS EVEN MORE CRUEL THAN SIMPLY ENDING HER SUFFERING?!" those facts finally made the boy realize how cruel his seemingly kind act of having allowed her to live through her initial ordeal must have been. He now regretted his initial actions and finally acknowledged that Yuzuki was in fact right. His own mercy was in fact what was making Enju probably feel even more miserable then.

Rentarō: "I….." he had no comeback to that. He just stood there, defeated and feeling downright broken to the very core, cursing every single thing in existence at that moment.

However, before any of the two could realize the urgency of the situation and how they needed to join Tamaki in battle, the distant ringing of a siren finally became noticeable as an ambulance was finally making its way towards the site, clearly being the one they had called for a couple of minutes before when Enju had been injured.

Noticing the sounds of the siren, the spider used one of its many eyes to calculate the distance between its own body and the vehicle. After having fought Tamaki for a good chunk of time and having one of its legs cut as a result, the beast realized how hopelessly outnumbered it was and how little chances it actually had to infect any of the people on that battlefield there and instead decided to choose a more aptly less prepared prey.

The spider immediately jumped away from Tamaki who was already worn out after that long battle and thanking himself for having survived even that long without getting infected and rushed towards the incoming ambulance. The driver of the vehicle, noticing the imminent danger, quickly turned the wheel to force the car into a sharp turn so they could run away and avoid the monster. Sadly for them, though, that didn't work well enough and the car's jarring turn, coupled with the inertia of its initial speed, destabilized its motion and the car tilted causing itself to flip over at full speed before it came to a stop.

The vehicle, now lying sideways on the ground, was nothing more but further prey for it, as the creature approached it as quickly as it could to its new victims. Rentarō and the group didn't realize in time what it was doing until it was already halfway to the disaster site.

The driver of the ambulance, suffering from a concussion and a severe deep injury on his forehead because of glass shards being projected from the window in front of him onto his head, finally came back to consciousness and began trying to register what was going on in his environment again. His headache was killing him but he did his best in trying to fight off the pain and push forwards. Unfortunately for him, by the time he came to his senses, he met a very cruel reality before him: the spider got to the ambulance and climbed on top of it blocking the only exit that wasn't literally in the ground. The poor man screamed in agony as the creature mercilessly took advantage of his lack of defense and began biting his body, feasting a little on his flesh but more focusing on allowing him to live and passing on the virus onto him.

Soon enough, though, the scream stopped and was replaced with a sinister worrying silence and the spider didn't even attempt to get to the man's partner on the seat next to him. Once his partner would have his own body transformed, he would infect him instead since he was right next to him.

The spider wanted to make an escape now but then found another potential victim when the doors at the back of the ambulance flung open and a young woman, seemingly in her late twenties, made a dash for it in an attempt to escape the hungry beast, not realizing that she just allowed herself to be discovered.

The spider, just as willing as before, didn't wait too long and was preparing to run towards her as well when Tamaki finally arrived and suddenly cut off another one of its back legs, making it lose its equilibrium. Enraged, the spider swiftly dodged another incoming blow from his razor blades and tried to put some distance between them.

It screamed viciously back at him, trying to intimidate the man and make him flee away. He was smart enough to know that this was merely a false attack to scare him and so he continued pushing on. He began moving forwards toward it slowly, forcing it to also back away in a defensive manner.

Finally, when backing away sufficiently, another actor entered the stage: namely Yuzuki. The young girl jumped high into the air just above the creature and landed right next to it in a far away spot to not be in immediate danger from it. The spider was confused because of that seemingly pointless act but then the girl made some strange seemingly indiscernible hand motions and then seemed to pull on something invisible in front of her. It was then when creature noticed it: when Yuzuki flew in a jump above it, she did it to lead some very thin, almost invisible fiber strings into its own legs underneath, so that when she finished the jump she could wrap those strings around them.

With its legs finally tied up (and one even cut and another still regenerating from a cut), it was finally unable to continue on attacking.

Yuzuki: "Got it!" she cheerfully announced before giving her brother the signal to finish the beast off. Tamaki, happy to see the signal, proceeded to do just that, by walking towards it with his rotating razor blades on his fists threatening to cut off its head.

Sensing the immediate threat to its life, the beast let out a cry for help, loud enough to be heard 10 blocks away, almost deafening Yuzuki who barely resisted the urge to cover her ears, to not allow it to escape by letting go of the strings. That seemed a little bit futile, since all the people there thought that all of the other spiders have either been already killed or fled the battlefield but that soon turned out to be incorrect when two new spiders, emerged from the broken ambulance, clearly the remnants of the driver and his partner that had driven that vehicle to that place mere minutes ago. The two spiders, in response to the call for help, assaulted the duo in an attempt to save their mother's life.

Yuzuki: "SHIT…..ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! THEY ALREADY TRANSFORMED?!" she yelled out annoyed. The two quickly fell back and allowed the restrained creature loose. In response to this, the three spiders came together in a group and began to make menacing gestures towards them.

Tamaki: "Crap…...they are tougher for some reason than the ones before. We shouldn't have so much trouble dealing with a bunch of Level I's!" he remarked, just as angry with this development as his sister.

Yuzuki: "It's not really our fault! It's not easy dealing with Spider type Gastrea! That's your biggest weakness, after all!" she tried to justify their lack of ability in handling this situation.

Tamaki: "Ironic, isn't it?" he commented, subtly hinting at the fact that Yuzuki was in fact a Spider type herself, hence how she was even able to produce reinforced spider strings to use in combat. The girl did not respond to his comment, though, instead choosing to glare harshly at the boy standing in the distance, clearly in a lot of distress himself.

Yuzuki: "HOW ABOUT SOME FUCKING HELP, YOU IDIOT?!" she yelled at him in the distance. Upon realizing that her scream was directed to himself, Rentarō could only stare back at her, not even knowing how to respond. He wanted to assist them, he really did. The issue was that he wasn't in any way willing to attack Enju, his own Initiator. Even after her turning into that thing, as long as he had the memory of who it originally had been, he couldn't bring himself to harm it.

Even without saying anything, the mere look on his face told Yuzuki all she needed to know.

Yuzuki: "Fucking useless kid…." was all she could say, even though she said it in such a low volume that only Tamaki sitting right next to her could hear her comment. "Looks like we're on our own this time!" that didn't bode very well for them, especially since they had become so tired from fighting the past Gastrea that it wasn't going to be easy for them.

Tamaki: "Well, if we have a spectator we might as well show off then!" he recklessly replied, entering an offensive stance and preparing to attack. Even if the numbers were not in their favor and even if they were both tired, as long as the two of them were together, they would survive it. That was the least they knew and they were proud of it as siblings.

Two of the spiders attacked all at once, each picking its own target to deal with. The former-Enju spider, though, did not proceed and focused more on tracking down the human woman who had escaped the ambulance mere minutes before. It was still smart enough to know that dealing with the two siblings would not be a good idea so it decided to go for the sure route of surviving, especially since it was already injured and wouldn't be able to fight as well as its children would.

The siblings, being busy fighting and barely surviving themselves, didn't notice this fact before it was too late.

The woman who had fled before, was now hiding behind a car nearby. She hadn't fled yet since she was too scared to make any movements by herself as she knew that that entire area had been swarming with spiders half an hour ago and felt that not running away but hiding instead would bring her better chances of surviving that ordeal. Clearly she was wrong.

The creature leaped onto the car she was hiding behind, surprising her and almost giving her a heart attack. She backed away, frozen in complete fear, not even screaming or trying to flee again. Instead she just stood there and stared at the Gastrea in front of her, helpless.

Woman: "Please…..don't hurt me!" she begged, even though she knew the spider wouldn't heed her desperate request. But just as the spider was about to assault her, a shot was heard and immediately the spider cried in pain, as a Black Bullet penetrated its exoskeleton and damaged its body heavily. The bullet was fast enough to damage one of the spider's lungs, as liquid similar to what some would call 'blood' began spewing out.

The girl looked from where she thought the bullet came from and noticed a dark blue haired teenage boy standing close by and pointing his gun towards the beast, with tears running down his eyes, barely managing to compose himself from his crying.

Rentarō: "Get out of here! NOW!" he yelled at her once he confirmed she had noticed his presence. Not once had he moved his gun even slightly once he had fixed it on its target.

The spider, in pain, collapsed sideways, trying to crawl away from the boy even after having been shot. Clearly the first bullet was not enough to kill it. Seeing this opportunity, the nurse decided to seize this chance and sprinted in the opposite direction to where the creature was. The spider, seeing her try to get away, tried to get back up and run after her again, even with its open wound but was immediately stopped by another bullet piercing its huge abdomen from the side. It yelled.

What was the most disturbing fact about that fight to Rentarō was the fact that whenever the creature shrieked, a little bit of Enju's voice could be distinctly noticed in its sounds, due to the fact that the two shared the same vocal cords. So whenever it would yell in pain, like when it was shot, Rentarō could hear a little bit of Enju screaming as well. That only amplified his pain all the more.

He was in so much pain when hearing that sound, in fact, that he bit his lower lip so that his adrenaline from that pain would force him to continue concentrating on the battlefield and not allow himself to become distracted.

Rentarō: "Why….?" he said to the spider, even though he knew it probably wouldn't even understand him. "Why did it have to be today, of all days? Why did this have to happen before I could apologize to her?!" he glared sharply at the spider, taking note of every single movement it would make to be sure it wouldn't be able to catch him off guard. That was standard procedure when dealing with wounded Gastrea.

Clearly the creature didn't understand his words, and only made defensive gestures to warn him not to get any closer or it would attack him. That was a sign that it was already too wounded to be a threat to him anymore, as the toxic metal in those bullets was surely burning through its flesh like acid by that point.

Rentarō: "I guess….this is over now….." the boy remarked, finally taking a second to breathe in deeply and take in the situation as it truly was. Tamaki and Yuzuki would surely be able to defeat those two other spiders by themselves, he had no doubt about that. What was the hardest part now, was for him to deal with this spider.

Even when not having any features that resembled Enju apart from the small similarities in the vocalization of certain sounds, he still had a hard time every time he pulled the trigger. It just felt wrong shooting that thing and have it scream in a similar manner to how Enju screams.

He made a step forward, trying to see how it reacts. Naturally, the spider backed away while making chewing motions with its lips, a well known manifestation of Spider Gastrea when they are cornered, basically an attempt to try to intimidate their attacker. Seeing it be so defensive, he took another step, approaching. The spider backed away even further.

Not trying to push his luck too far anymore, the boy began to mentally prepare himself to shoot at the head, the sure way of instantly killing any Spider Gastrea, as he had demonstrated a few minutes ago with that Level II Gastrea that had infected Enju. It would only take a single bullet to end this entire ordeal…..one single bullet to end Enju's suffering and allow her to rest in peace. One bullet….to give her her Valentine's gift.

Rentarō: " _Please….forgive me, Enju!_ " he told himself in his head while trying to fight any emotion that would come his way. He was finally gonna get his opportunity to give her the kindness she wanted. Or at least, that's what he thought.

When finally bracing himself for the shot, he noticed a peculiar behavior that came upon the spider suddenly: it was shaking rather strangely. Normally, Spider Gastrea would never shake, or at least such a phenomenon was never recorded before. At first he thought maybe that was because of it having lost its feet before in battle and being unable to properly maintain its balance, but that didn't make much sense when he thought about it thoroughly: the shaking was more similar to how human beings shake when they have a fever.

Rentarō: "A…..fever…." he remembered how Enju had had a fever when she was about to transform. Maybe this was a side effect from the transformation in itself? He wondered. He continued to stare at the beast, who was acting very strangely. It was barely managing to keep itself on its feet, squirming lightly like it was suffering from a weird internal destabilization to its own body. Something was definitely odd. Regardless of how wounded they would be, Gastrea never acted like this.

Then, almost out of nowhere, spasms conquered the spider's body, much in the same way they had used to torture Enju. The boy, worried, began to approach the beast even more, forgetting to take care in doing so and exposing himself to risk. Seeing this, the spider didn't fail to seize the opportunity and slammed one of its forelegs into him, making him fly backwards into the air and drop him gun.

Rentarō: "FUCK!" he cried because of his fall. Taking advantage of his momentary incapacitated state, the Gastrea took no more chances and began to jump away, in an attempt to flee the battlefield and save its own life. Its body was too injured to have any possibility of surviving a fight, even against him, so it needed to make its escape right then and there.

Rentarō wasn't going to allow it to escape and prolong his Initiator's suffering. He had to finish it off, it was the least he could do to his now dead partner. Activating his left eye and quickly grabbing the gun lying close by on the pavement, he tried to refocus on the spider flying away. With all the determination in his heart to fulfill Enju's last wish, he tried aiming at the escaping creature. Even when it was bouncing from one building of the city to the next at inhuman speeds, using his left eye for enhanced precision, he was able to accurately predict in time when and where it would next land, and shot a couple of shots in that general direction.

Out of the five shots he fired, one managed to hit its target, damaging its abdomen again although in a different spot. The spider yelled in despair but maintained a proper stance to not fall off and continued to run away for its life. Rentarō continued on shooting at it, missing a couple of times before his barrel emptied.

Rentarō: "Shit…." he lost. He had only one job to do, and even that one he squandered royally. In a very pathetic turn of events, he had allowed Enju, or what remained of her now mutated body, to run away. Not only had he failed miserably as a Promoter, he had also failed as Enju's partner, for allowing her nightmare to mercilessly continue. He was, for lack of a better word, disgusted with himself. Obviously he could run after her but he was exhausted from all the running and fighting, as well as mentally scarred. Chasing after her, especially with that thing's speed, was no longer possible.

With tears still running down his cheeks and with a lot of despair in his heart, the boy yelled his lungs out, screaming the girl's name as her new body disappeared into the distance, never to return to him.

~Tendo Security office, Tokyo~

The teenage girl was doing her best trying to pretend that she was calm and collected in front of her Initiator. While Kisara liked to think of herself as a composed and mature woman who was capable of handling herself just fine, she was failing to notice how her gentle finger tapping her own desk was giving away the anxiety she was harboring with respect to that entire situation. Tina, being the very attentive girl that she was, couldn't really ignore that and was aware of her Promoter's stress.

Tina: "Are you worried about them?" the girl asked what was actually a question she already knew the answer to. The purpose of that question wasn't to get the obvious answer from Kisara, it was more to engage her into a conversation into that topic.

Kisara: "Yes, I am" she responded exactly in the way Tina had expected her to answer. Surprisingly, despite showing that air of sophistication that she would constantly display, her Promoter was very easy to read, even to herself as a ten year old girl.

Tina: "Do you think onii-san or Enju-san will make a fatal mistake in their dealing with the mission? I'm pretty confident that they can handle many things pretty well. Is there a reason for you being more concerned now than in other times?" seeing as how Kisara was reserved and not really talkative, Tina decided to slowly push for more information from her, much to the teenage woman's chagrin.

Kisara: "They already failed in properly handling the situation! At no point is it normal for an Initiator to enter battle without her Promoter! At this moment I'm pretty sure both Rentarō and Enju acted recklessly" as their immediate superior, Kisara felt very unnerved by her subordinates' childish and irresponsible behavior. As a Civil Security Service, their own one was among the least known and most glossed over in conversations in the entire Tokyo area, simply because of their incompetence usually in handling situations just as those. And while she had been lenient on both Rentarō and Enju in the past for their misdemeanors, she felt that they had gone too far that day. Even though she didn't like it, they were not going to go unpunished that time.

Tina would have tried to defend the duo in some way but, before she could do that, Kisara's cellphone began ringing on her desk, prompting her to immediately grab it in a comically quick fashion because of her stressed out persona.

Kisara: "Hello? Rentarō? What's going on over there? Are you and Enju fine?" she began speaking at an obnoxious speed, something which the boy on the other end of the line never enjoyed. It was a clear indication that his boss was stressed out, and that was very rarely a good thing, especially for him.

 **Rentarō: "The situation is under control, Kisara-san! Most of the Gastrea had been killed and some of them are being taken care of as we speak. The area is almost cleared out….." something was definitely odd. Something felt off about the boy's voice, she could sense it. It seemed a bit…..shaky.**

Kisara: "Rentarō…..are you crying?" the moment she said that, Tina immediately looked concerned at her. "What…..happened there? Something bad happened?" there was no point in delaying the inevitable. Whenever Rentarō used to begin his status update to her with delivering the report of what was going on on the battlefield, it was always followed by bad news. She knew that much.

The boy on the other end sighed, annoyed at himself for having given himself away so easily. He would have made another comment about how women were naturally-born mind readers but decided against it since it would be in poor taste considering his situation.

 **Rentarō: "** _ **(sighes)**_ **Many things happened…..but I think the most relevant one is that…..Enju transformed" it was at that moment when Kisara's heart dropped into her stomach as the blood in her veins froze. When seeing the sudden change in her facial expression, it wasn't hard for Tina to figure out what was going on. Kisara gulped audibly at that news.**

Kisara: "And? What happened to her? Did you kill her?" for whatever reason, despite having known that this day would eventually arrive for so long, she felt very unprepared that moment for that news. It was the equivalent of mentally preparing oneself for the death of his parents. Such a thing was only inevitable, however, it was a thing many people seldom truly manage to mentally prepare for. It was such a dark and unpleasant topic that it didn't even feel appropriate to discuss on the phone.

What followed was a short silence. It wasn't long mind you. It only lasted for like ten seconds. Still, it was noticeable and it was at that moment when Kisara knew, without even being told, exactly what had happened as she figured it out herself.

 **Rentarō: "I…..couldn't kill her. She managed to run away….." that was not good. Nothing about that topic of conversation was making Kisara feel any better about their situation. Literally the worst things that she had feared would happen before that phone call took place really did happen. Well, that excluding Rentarō's own death.**

Seeing how dire this entire ordeal proved to be, Kisara had very little to add on the phone. She could attempt to try to soothe the situation and make Rentarō feel better but she knew him well enough to realize that that wasn't an achievable goal. Nothing she could say to him could make him feel any better. That was a fact.

Kisara: "OK, I understand. Come to my office for now! We'll have a talk about what to do next here!" she ordered with a saddened, almost depressed voice. The boy on the other end simply nodded before ending the call.

Kisara almost slammed the phone on her desk while throwing her back against her chair, sighing deeply, visibly disgruntled. That day was going to be a very long one, for sure.

~Enju's school~

Contrasting that very tense and almost depressing mood all round the city because of that Gastrea invasion, the children at the school were leisurely enjoying themselves and that seemingly wonderful event while partaking in their usual boring classes. The atmosphere there was so departed from the chaos going on in the city outside their building that it felt like a reality bubble that was being kept away from usual awareness that most citizens have with respect to Gastrea attacks. This was due, in part, to how often such attacks had happened in the past months, which desensitized most of the people there to the actual danger that such monsters posed. Even with the Gastrea alarm still loudly echoing in the background, the classes still continued on as they normally do, without anyone, even the teachers, giving it any special attention.

The kids, with the exception of Enju's own friends, hadn't even noticed her absence that day. Given that it was Valentine's Day, one would assume her not popping up and giving a chocolate gift would be remarked by at least someone but, sadly, Enju wasn't that particularly popular at school, much less have a love interest there. As such, no boys were awaiting her gift and didn't even notice her not being there to give a possible gift to them.

Her friends, though, did notice, and were worrying about the girl's whereabouts, especially since she was probably the most anxious member of their group when talking about such romantic topics as Valentine's Day. The fact that she would miss out on such an important event by not coming to school at all felt…..concerning to some extent to them.

Christina: " _I hope she's fine….Maybe she overdid it last night while making the chocolates?_ " the girl thought to herself while ignoring the teacher in their class while she was talking, something which she was particularly good at doing. This time it was their Japanese teacher again, having a second class that day with them. The teacher was constantly rambling on and on about kanji, arguably the most boring topic any kid of their age would be forced to learn. Learning to draw some very esoteric highly specialized symbols was not that engaging to them, despite how much the educational system of their country was trying to make it seem otherwise. It was definitely an essential part of leaning the Japanese language but it was still very deadening by itself.

Then, all of a sudden, the school's own speakers activated out of nowhere and, out of them, the voice of their principal began to speak.

 **Speakers: "Attention, students: because of the ongoing Gastrea alert that's been on for more than an hour now, as well as sightings from the public that suggest that one of the creatures is currently headed towards our school, we will be suspending all classes taking place today entirely. All teachers within the premises are asked to guide their respective classes that they are supervising at this current moment and evacuate them in an orderly fashion to the outside of the building. A group of police officers just outside will take the children and escort them to safety in their cars. Once all pupils have been evacuated, all teachers, janitors and other personnel currently on the premises must await outside for guidance from the policemen there. That is all!" came the weirdly sounding voice of the headmaster of that place.**

Needless to say this news was worrying. This was one of the very few times when the children there had ever been exposed to the prospect of actually having their lives become endangered because of a Gastrea attack. Normally, Gastrea usually attack on the outskirts of the city as they most of the times invade from the outside. It was because of that reason that the majority of school districts had been built as far into the city as possible, to make attacks on the children there unlikely. For a Gastrea to purposefully ignore all the other buildings and possible prey in the city and focus on a specific school was an almost unfathomable thing for everyone there.

The children, naturally, began freaking out and panicking in the classroom before the voice of their teacher rang out to calm them.

Teacher: "Calm down, everyone! This isn't the time to panic! If the Gastrea is really on the loose and heading towards us, most likely it will pass our school without attacking anyone here. It wouldn't have any reason to target us, specifically! And even if it will, the police officers outside will protect us!" she tried to do her best in managing this ordeal. She wasn't really trained in having to deal with such situations but she tried maintaining her calm and trying to look professional and composed to give the children a sense of confidence in her, which will allow them to also calm down.

As she had intended, this composed them a little. The woman then proceeded to do as she had been instructed to and began evacuating the class so that they could exit the building without trampling over each other in fits of panic. This, however, very quickly backfired, when their worst fears came true and a very sharp scream coming from what couldn't possibly be a human being very loudly passed through the area and an unspeakable human/spider hybrid crashed down onto the school grounds from above, among all the children that have been evacuated in the school's play grounds. The police officers nearby immediately had their faces turn white when seeing something like it.

The creature didn't look like an ordinary Gastrea, as its body had reverted back to the regular anatomy of a human being to some extent: her exoskeleton had been shed off entirely, the head, despite having many protrusions on top of it that looked like peripheral spider eyes that somehow submerged under the skin, dropped all features resembling that of an insect and looked and had the shape and size of the head of a normal ten year old girl. The most unnerving aspects were the blade-like spider legs that still replaced the regular human limbs although they were of the same size as the arms and legs that they had once formed from and the dark blue color of her entire body, the same color that resembled a bruise on ones member after being hit particularly hard. The eyes still shined a violent and scary red, reminding everyone there of how truly terrifying those who were plagued by the Gastrea virus looked.

Creature: "Help…..me!" came a gurgling sinister voice from the chimera. The voice was doubtlessly the most horrific thing anyone there had ever heard. It was a mix between the voice of a young girl and that of a monster, as various vibrations of both low and high frequencies came out of its mouth, making it sound like it was coming from both beings at the same time. A teacher there instantly fated when hearing that disturbing vocalization. That thing…..was almost human for whatever sick reason.

Captain: "SHOOT THAT THING! TAKE AIM AT ITS ABDOMEN BUT MAKE SURE YOU DON'T HIT THE CHILDREN!" the policemen behind it all pointed their guns at the creature and began showering it with their bullets. More screams exited its mouth as many projectiles were fired at it, all getting embedded in its skin and wounding it. Sadly for them though, those were regular non-Varanium based bullets that were not meant to kill Gastrea. So instead of actually taking it down, the shots only enraged the wild chimera further. She turned around in a second and spewed a white thick substance from its mouth. The force of the shooting was sufficient to quickly eat away on the distance between the creature and the men and they quickly became covered in the sticky goo. It was so heavy that the majority of officers that got hit by it fell on the ground after being impacted. The web then quickly solidified and pinned them there, immobilizing them.

The spider then threw up another wave of web on the remaining officers and all 9 policemen there had bee incapacitated swiftly by the creature. Still crying in pain because of being shot multiple times, the monster then turned back towards the group of children. The majority of them began running away when they noticed that the thing turned its ahead towards them again.

All the teachers piled up between it and the group of pupils, trying to act as meat shields in case it would decide to charge at them while they run away. Unexpectedly, though, it did not charge nor attack the defenseless kids. It only stared at them. The facial expressions it was making were those of a scared, panicking human being as it began to cry when seeing how everyone was trying to flee from itself.

Creature: "NO! DON'T RUN! PLEASE! IT'S ME!" regardless of how much it was trying to beg for their attention, it only served to scare them even further as the voice it was making was too much for their little hearts. Still, one pupil stopped in her tracks…..that voice sounding very familiar to her.

Christina: "That voice….could it be?!" she immediately stopped running and turned her head in complete shock and disbelief. "ENJU?!" she screamed all of a sudden, making the chimera notice her and recognize her.

Creature: "Ch-Chris!" the horrifying monster cried out. It was at that point, finally, after all that ordeal, that Christina lost all of her mind and lost control of her own bladder. The situation was so strange that the poor girl's mind began to crack. Her friend…..her best friend was a monster. But now that she realized it, her brain immediately started to make connections between that monster's appearance and the characteristics Enju had once had, allowing her to recognize her vaguely in that creature's hideous body.

The girl's legs began shaking as she started to slowly walk towards the monster, shocking everyone. The teachers immediately considered stopping her but didn't really take any action because they were so surprised of the fact that this pupil knew who the monster was.

Teacher: "CHRISTINA! DON'T GO NEAR IT!" her teacher yelled at her but she disregarded her order. The girl approached until it was only a couple of feet away from the cursed creature. When she got sufficiently close, it was then when she noticed: the monster was crying. Nearly transparent tears were running down its cheeks, almost unnoticeable because of the dark coloring of the skin.

Christina: "Enju….is that…..you?" her voice was breaking. It was like her brain was desperately trying to purge such profane and obscene ideas from her mind, that her friend could be in that monstrosity's body. Much to her sanity's detriment though, the monster nodded its head, suggesting that it was intelligent and capable of understanding human speech.

Creature: "Please…..help me! My body…..is changing!" she began quickly approaching the girl, startling her. The reaction she got after was, however, not what she had hoped for.

Christina: "DON'T COME NEAR ME!" she immediately yelled, begging the creature to keep its distance. For the panicking chimera, that came as a real and almost mind blowing surprise. "PLEASE…..DON'T DO THIS TO ME! I don't know who you are, but stop defiling Enju's body! Go away! You aren't Enju….." this came as the heaviest and most painful blow that the creature had ever received that entire day. It stared back at the girl as she began to cry heavily and whimper on the ground as her legs gave in and she fell.

Monster: "Chris….it's me! Don't you recog-…."

Christina: "I SAID GO AWAY!" the girl began yelling in despair, her flow of tears only intensifying as finally she fully broke and began to let loose whatever her jumbled brain could conjure on its own. "I DON'T RECOGNIZE YOU! GO AWAY!" she reverted back to a primordial state because of the intense fear that she was enduring. She was so panicked that her mind began prioritizing self defense as its main goal. She couldn't contain any more sympathy for that creature, despite having registered that that….thing was once her friend.

Monster: "Why? You told me…..you will help me no matter what! I thought we were friends!" it finally started to take the hint and began backing away. It didn't know what to do and, as such, it could only try to distance itself from the now verbally attacking aggressor.

Christina: "You're not my friend! Enju is my friend! I want her back! Give her back to me!" the girl finally managed to build up the courage to become vicious as her mind began to clear because of the adrenaline rush and her beginning to compose herself. Here thoughts were becoming clearer and easier to follow for herself. However, her own emotions were taking over and her more rational self were still buried beneath them.

Realizing her mistake, the creature's mind finally collapsed again and it began howling a high pitched horrifying scream, as Enju's poor mind inside itself lost itself to despair. Hurt and not wanting to continue scaring her own classmates, as well as trying to preserve whatever sanity was left in her friend, the spider monster turned around immediately and, without saying anything further, propelled its own body onto a nearby building and began running away, leaving the school grounds in less than three seconds and assuring the survival of everyone there. Still, the poor minds of everyone there would forever be scarred and haunt them for the rest of their lives…..especially the children there.


	4. Disaster recovery

~Tendō Security Service Corporation HQ~

Rentarō: "I solemnly apologize!" the boy bowed his head so low that his entire body formed a perfect right angle in front of his boss's desk. Kisara stood there, glaring at him with eyes cold enough that she would probably freeze the boy's blood in his own veins so that he would die instantly. It was because of those eyes that Rentarō decided to bow in the first place, simply because he knew that if he were to look directly into them even for a second during conversation, she would probably turn him to stone just out of sheer anger, not unlike how Medusa from ancient Greek mythology would be able to accomplish.

Kisara: "This time I'm afraid a simple apology won't get you out of trouble, Rentarō-kun!" he knew the situation was ungodly and truly sad if she would use the '-kun' honorific on his name. Kisara very rarely addressed him with honorifics, only reserving them for times when she would be mentally preparing herself for physically abusing the boy due to his negligence. "You have the nerve of not only taking too long to kill Enju and allowing the virus to completely morph her body, but also allowing the creature to escape? This is beyond what even simple incompetence can create. Not even once, in my entire life have I ever even heard of a single Promoter failing this miserably in handling his own Initiator's transforming into a Gastrea. You are the very first who managed to royally and grandiosely fuck this up in such a spectacular manner. Hell, I don't even know how you're able to show your face to me, right now!" she was cruel, even more cruel than she had ever been before. Kisara had always been very critical of Rentarō's performances in the past, that much was obvious. But that day she was being very venomous, and the boy couldn't really blame her for that. After all, even he was incredulous with his own incompetence when recalling everything that had transpired that day. He was ashamed of himself, as Kisara claimed he should be, but he was also very pissed and depressed because of Enju's death.

Rentarō: "If I may defend myself…." he began speaking queasily in an attempt at self defense to escape her verbal abuse. "If I didn't return to face the consequences for my own actions in front of you, I wouldn't be much of a man now, would I?" that reply didn't do him much good though as the girl immediately slammed her hands onto her desk in response to it.

Kisara: "You don't get to make smart-ass replies today, Rentarō! If you think I'll overlook your failure this time you are sorely mistaken! Even in the unlikely event that your negligence won't do our company in in the near future, I'll still take the liberty of castrating you with my bare hands!" she was like a bomb threatening to go off. Rentarō disliked seeing her like that and wished that if he could be anywhere else in the world at that point, he would take the chance. He didn't care even if he got instantly transported into a den with Level III Gastrea fully unarmed. At least they will give him a mercifully quick end. This woman goes beyond that and actively torments her victims before dealing the finishing blow.

Tina was in the corner of the room, casually eating nachos on a couch and enjoying the show in front of her, similarly to how a random spectator in the cinema eats popcorn while watching the movie being played. The fact that she wasn't disturbed by the sheer amounts of homicidal fury that her Promoter was emanating and, worse, was even finding it entertaining, made this situation even scarier for the boy in the room.

Rentarō: "Could you please not do that? I'll need my nether regions in the future…..for various purposes" he knew he wasn't helping his own case but when you're in his shoes and being screwed so badly, the most you can get out of that situation is trying to make smug comments every so often and seeing if he manages to find an opening in the ensuing quarrel for him to exploit.

Kisara: "NOT AFTER I'LL BE DONE WITH YOU!" the young woman then went for her sword and unsheathed it. It was at that moment when the boy in front of her gulped, realizing the sinister, almost cynical and sadistic smile that his employer was wearing.

Rentarō: "OK OK! I'll stop making any comments! Just put the sword down!" for a second he actually considered that she would actually go on a killing spree and behead him. Naturally she wouldn't get away with it and will probably get life imprisonment, but seeing her deranged look for only a second, it actually seemed like a plausible outcome.

Kisara, after taking in a deep breath and summoning whatever little shreds of sanity her brain still harbored, did as he had told her and sheathed her sword back. Even if she was furious with him, she had to keep her composure at least a little, if nothing else but for a sense of professionalism. The boy let out a very relieved sigh from deep within his lungs, praising whatever deity existed in that world for them saving his life.

After taking a minute to calm down and dissipate her rage, Kisara brushed her own forehead with her index fingers, trying to massage that region to release at least some steam.

Kisara: "Rentarō, I swear, you're becoming worse at this job with each passing day. What in the world compelled you to allow this to happen? How could you be so cruel, not even to the victims of that attack, but to Enju herself? How could you, her own Promoter, fail her so badly?!" the boy stood there, cursing under his breath and gritting his teeth, feeling like he was being ripped apart with each word she would say. The issue was that every single comment she was making was factual and he agreed with her 100%. It was because of that that this was so painful for him.

Rentarō: "I…..couldn't shoot her. She was lying there, begging me to kill her. She was so scared….how was I supposed to put the gun against her forehead at that moment and pull the trigger?! What sane man does that?!" was the only excuse he could come up with. Honestly, he had no logical argument for his blunder. Relaying his feelings to her was the only thing he felt he could do to realistically make her understand his actions.

Kisara: "A man that knows his job and his obligations to society! You knew since you signed that stupid contract with me that this day would come! I specifically warned you back then that this is what your role would entail! And you promised me that you were up to the task! Tell me, then, how well did you keep that promise, Satomi Rentarō?" he honestly hated being in un-winnable arguments. Those were all rhetorical questions, so how was he supposed to fight back? Obviously he wasn't meant to and he was simply meant to take them in and feel ashamed of himself. Still, this felt very one-sided.

Rentarō: "Listen, I'm not really good with murdering people! I never was! I know that what I did was a huge mistake. But….can you please at least understand my point? I knew at that moment what was going on and what I had to do! The point was…..I couldn't convince myself to actually do it!" that excuse was so comically badly formulated that it felt right out of a child trying to find a shitty excuse for their misbehavior.

Kisara: "It's not murder when you know it's necessary and there's no other way around it!" whatever he said, it didn't seem like she was willing on letting go of her accusations.

Rentarō: "I don't want to become someone who's comfortable with killing! And you're in no position of talking to me about the morality of taking one's life away!" the boy finally burst out and fought back, even if for just a second, to get back at her. He was obviously referencing Kisara's past and her murdering in cold blood one of her own brothers some time back. Obviously he knew that this was a very touchy subject to discuss with her, but he wasn't going to hold back against her if she wasn't going to do the same with him.

The girl was speechless for a second, not having expected that subject to be brought up. She had thought that there was an unspoken rule among them to never bring that back up unless it was necessary. Clearly, that rule went out the window then.

The girl glared at him scornfully but he didn't flinch. He stared right back at her in the eyes, letting her know that he was ready to go forward with that conversation.

Kisara: "You know Rentarō….you can say whatever you want about me and what I did in the past. When it's all said and done, I did what I had to do. Regardless of how horrible it was for me to do that, I still went forward with it and still look back at that moment without any shame. Can you truly say the same now about what you did?" this was becoming nasty.

Rentarō: "Just because you're not ashamed of having done it doesn't mean it's OK!"

Kisara: "The point is that I was strong enough to do my job! If you are in this field, you are expected to be able to do the same thing too! If you're too weak for it, you can't expect to be a Promoter in the first place! And it's always the weak ones that die in real life" he gulped. There was indeed no way for him to win that discussion. Hell, he himself didn't want to win since he knew he was clearly in the wrong. At that point he was only arguing just because it felt unjust for her to savagely attack him with such fervor.

Rentarō: "Even if you say that…..I still don't know how to do it when I'm in the heat of battle. It's just impossible!" it was then when Tina finally decided to intervene in their discussion, although she took it into a tangent that none of them wanted her to.

Tina: "It's not really impossible, onii-san!" came her cute reply, interrupting the two and making them stare at her in silence. "Whenever you're about to pull the trigger, all you have to do is think that the person you're targeting is a jelly filled doughnut with legs walking around and that, if you hit it, all the cranberry jam inside of it will burst out and you'll then be able to eat it afterwards!" that analogy was so strange and disturbing that the two teenagers stared at the ten year old girl having just said those words, in pure shock and disgust, looking at her like she was a homicidal maniac.

Rentarō: "Tina…..is that what they thought you when they trained you to become an assassin?" came the horrified voice of the boy. He looked at her as if she was truly insane even though the innocence with which she was talking felt so genuine that he considered that maybe all little girls of her age were naturally born assassins. He was now considering the possibility of him maybe switching sexual orientation.

Tina: "Yes, you would be surprised how many times it helped me!" the proud voice she used was nothing less than commendable.

Kisara: "Did…..did you ever actually go ahead and eat the….uh…..cranberry jam?" clearly she was way more disturbed by that analogy than Rentarō was, hilariously enough.

Tina: "What a silly question, Kisara-san. Of course I didn't, that would just be disgusting! You only think of it as a doughnut when you press the trigger. Afterwards, it becomes a dead body. That's when you run away so you won't get caught!" this explanation felt eerily professional, complete with her even calling her would be victim an 'it' as a sign of psychologically distancing herself from the target. Needless to say, Rentarō and Kisara were, thankfully, purged of any more anger and negative thoughts at that point, although they both mentally noted to take Tina to a child psychiatrist in the near future.

Rentarō: " _What will this girl grow up into….?_ " the boy feared for his life but shook his head to get back to the original topic of conversation. "Anyways, Kisara-san, I-…."

Kisara: "That's President Kisara, you failure of an employee!" clearly she also got back to her original mood.

Rentarō: " _(sigh)_ President Kisara, I know that I failed miserably! But can you please allow me to start looking for Enju? I can at least try to fix everything by hunting her down an-…." but that train of thought didn't last long because it was interrupted by the ringing of his phone. Again, the boy cursed under his breath, considering for a second if he should leave it ring and keep talking with his boss. Given the circumstances, though, he realized that it was a bad idea and he pulled it out and answered.

Rentarō: "Yes? Satomi Rentarō is answering!" he didn't immediately recognize the incoming caller's number so he was worried for a moment when realizing that there weren't many people that he didn't know that would call him, especially given the scary timing with the past events that had happened that day.

 **Principal: "Yes, this is Motsuzuki Shibaru. I believe we spoke before, Satomi-san. I am the head master at Enju Aihara's school!" the boy gasped at that moment, feeling enormous amounts of dread spontaneously filling up his body. He knew full well that Motsuzuki would very rarely contact him and Enju being absent one day at school wouldn't really account for him calling him at all. This meant that something truly serious must have happened at Enju's school that she was responsible for. And given what had happened that day, he could already guess what must have happened. "I'm calling you right now to request for your presence here. We…..we have some issues. I….don't even know how to explain this but we believe we saw Enju arrive at our school in…...a truly unfortunate state, if you don't mind me saying. I would like for you to-…."**

Rentarō: "I'll be there in twenty minutes!" the boy's mind began rushing like crazy as adrenaline began to fill up his body. After closing the call, he promptly turned around and headed towards the exit, without even giving Kisara or Tina any explanations.

Kisara: "Wait! Where the hell do you think you're going?! What happened?" she anxiously tried to get as many answers out of the boy as she could before he would disappear by himself.

Rentarō: "It's Enju! She was spotted at her school!" was all he could say before dashing through the door and then leaving the two alone entirely without even closing it behind him.

Kisara: "WHAT?!" she yelled out of her lungs before jumping out of her chair and running after him. Tina, seeing her Promoter run out as well, decided to follow the two teens and see where this would take her.

~Enju's school, around 20 minutes later~

Rentarō: "This…..can't be" he was astonished to hear such news. He couldn't really accept what he had been told and, as such, his brain was parsing all of this new information as the result of some twisted sense of humor to be able to even acknowledge its existence. Despite this, the principal did not even smile to indicate that he was attempting a joke at all. "So….Enju was in a semi-human form?" the fact that there were so many teachers in that office with them, all of them displaying serious and stern faces meant that this couldn't possibly be a joke. And yet he was still rejecting all of this almost as if he was hearing a fairy tale being presented to him as real life.

Kisara: "Did you take any pictures of her by any chance?" the girl, being less incredulous than he was, asked. The older man nodded to them before grabbing his own phone and browsing the pictures on it.

Principal: "Well, it wasn't me or any of the staff. Luckily for us, one of our pupils had his phone out and began recording the incident. After that, I asked him to send me the clip to my personal smartphone. The quality isn't that good but I believe it's discernible!" he then proceeded to hand them his phone with the video beginning to play on it.

The scene that they were seeing left Kisara and Rentarō speechless. The video was shaky and the view would randomly get blocked by other children walking in front of the camera. But the overall content was clear enough and both teens got shivers on their skins when seeing what was now their precious Enju.

Rentarō gulped, feeling arguably the worst stomachache of his life as his intestines were turning when seeing the contorted creature. And the voice…..even with the low quality sound recorded from a distance he could still hear Enju's voice sodomized to such an incredible extent that he felt the urge to break in tears right there. It was like her body was fighting, trying to get out of that thing.

Tina, in the background, would only stare emotionless at the footage, not allowing any form of expression escape her. She maintained a professional composure although, deep down, she felt just as dreadful as her friends.

The video eventually came to a stop, leaving the room completely silent for a short while, time in which the teenagers were in deep thought, deeply scarred but also thinking about what to make of it.

Rentarō: "What….happened to her?" he was the first one to break the silence in the room, trying to address the obvious issue that was on everyone's mind there.

Kisara: "I…..don't know. I have never seen anything like this before. I never heard of a partial transformation like this. Are you certain that she fully morphed when you tried to kill her, Rentarō?"

Rentarō: "Yes…..although she acted weirdly. She began trembling and losing her equilibrium from time to time after I began shooting her. I've never seen a Gastrea do that before…." this was news. Kisara was now very curious. Clearly Enju wasn't in her Gastrea form at that point anymore. So the question was…..what happened to her after she ran way from Rentarō to revert back a little to her human form? That was incredibly strange.

The two pondered for some time on this topic while also inquiring the principal and the teachers there random questions to help piece together more information. Even so, the people there knew even less about what was going on than they did which made things all the more complicated.

After forty minutes of investigation and theorizing, the group eventually decided to agree that something strange was going on and they should probably return to their office to discuss more about that. When hearing that they wanted leave and once all the other teachers left, the principal requested Rentarō to remain there in his office with him to have a private talk with the man. He agreed and Kisara and Tina left the two alone to discuss.

Principal: "Rentarō-san, I understand your circumstances and I do believe that most of this situation was obviously an accident. I know that you meant no harm to our school but I have to say….I really wish I never would have agreed to your request!" came the surprising and out of nowhere remark from the older man.

Rentarō: "I'm sorry about everything! I never expected things to turn so badly. You have my sincerest apologies! I won't expect for Enju to continue being a student at this school…." this statement made the principal raise his eyebrow in surprise, as the older man realized that the boy had no idea of what was really going on there.

Principal: "Rentarō, you shouldn't expect for our school to be open at all from now on….."

Rentarō: "What….do you mean?" obviously the boy hadn't really grasped the seriousness of his blunder.

Principal: "Tell me, what do you think the parents of the children who have been psychologically scarred for life had to say to us once they found out that the thing that endangered their kids' lives was once a student at our school?" and it was then when Rentarō realized what this man was talking about.

Principal: "It was because Enju was a pupil at our school that she came running here for help in the first place! It was because of that that she came here and caused all this damage! If I hadn't agreed to allow Enju into our school, since she was a Cursed Child and it's obviously illegal for her to attend any school at all, none of this would have happened! It's because I agreed to your begging and desperate cries that all of this even happened to our pupils here!" of course, he knew he had to receive some scolding. Then again, this wasn't even something as minor as scolding, it was direct accusation.

Rentarō: "I am truly sorry…." knowing how much in the wrong he was, he had no other way of dealing with any of this besides repeatedly chanting 'I'm sorry' over and over again even though that did little to help anyone.

Principal: "I received calls from angry parents all day until you came here…..all promising to sue us for allowing that…..thing in our premises. They all guaranteed that our school would be shut down for what happened!"

Rentarō: "I…..just wanted Enju to have a normal life. There was no way for her to have one without going to school like any child her age should" he tried to gather some sympathy from the man in front of him although that was pointless.

Principal: "Well, now because of your actions, many children will also have to start looking for a new school. Not to mention that all the staff working here are going to lose their jobs too….all because of me agreeing to help Enju out and accept her into our school!" the principal was obviously not at fault, he was only a victim, Rentarō knew that. A victim for his own recklessness for having failed in terminating Enju at the right time. This would only add to Rentarō's consciousness.

Principal: "I'm…..an old man, Rentarō! For better or for worse, I have enough saved up to survive even with me losing my job. But if I were to go to jail for my decisions then my family would be devastated. Still, this is only a warning: if those angry parents are this aggressive towards me, imagine how they will be to you very soon!" that part didn't scare the boy as much, mostly because he had already been expecting severe vengeance from the family members of those who died at the hands of Enju's wrath. At that point, it wasn't a matter of if he will be brought into court, it was about how many would join in prosecuting him.

Rentarō: "Yes…..I am aware of the consequences"

~Underground complex~

Matsuzaki made his way across the barely lit tunnels of his bastion with a bowl of warm soup and a teaspoon in his hands and followed by a young girl of Enju's age. He approached a closed door and then knocked on it.

Matsuzaki: "Enju-chan, are you awake? Is it fine for me to enter?" came the soft and loving voice from the old man. No answer came from the other side. That wasn't really surprising for him. He waited for a minute to see if she would let him know of her presence in there, progressively knocking louder and louder in the meantime. Eventually he stopped and decided to move forward. "I'm coming in!" he declared as he slowly opened the door and peeked inside.

Much like he had been expecting, the girl was indeed inside, awake from a first glance and conscious. She was sitting on a chair next to a bed attached to the wall. The girl was wearing an old white dress that was a bit longer than her height and comically going past her feet and falling onto the floor. The girl was in her human form finally, having fully reverted back to her usual self although with some side effects from her previous transformations: all of her hair had fallen making her look like she was a patient who had been undertaking chemotherapy for a long time, her nails also missing and barely beginning to regrow back and her skin being awfully pale, almost like she was suffering from albinism.

Matsuzaki: "Oh, so you were here! You should at least answer me when I'm calling out. I might get worried if you stay quiet like that" the old man went ahead and closed the door behind himself after his companion also made her way in. He then approached Enju and placed the bowl of soup on a small, portable table, before pulling on the table and bringing it to her so she could eat from it. "I hope you like it. It's miso soup! Mirai-chan cooked it herself! It's my personal favorite!" he tried to encourage her to eat, as she had not ingested anything since she had arrived at his doorstep. He was worried because of her condition….hell, because of how she looked now, he hadn't even recognized her at first.

Sadly for him, though, the girl continued to remain silent, unresponsive to his attempts at persuasion. She stood there, still, quiet and staring into the floor, almost like she was possessed. Her lips were cracked because of their dryness. Seeing how she refused to comply, the old man sighed.

Matsuzaki: "Please, Enju! You need to eat! Your body needs to recover! You need to eat if you want to live!" finally, it was this statement when the girl finally began to react.

Enju: "I don't want to live!" she replied with a very low tone of voice. Her voice was so quiet, in fact, that it barely even registered to him. It felt like she didn't even have the power of speaking normally again. Her unusual behavior was worrying to everyone in that shelter. "I want to die! That would be a good thing!" came her finishing part. Matsuzaki and Mirai looked at each other for a couple of seconds, worry clear on both their faces and not really knowing how to continue given how much resistance they were meeting.

Mirai: "If you don't like miso soup, I can go cook some-…."

Enju: "That's not the issue!" finally, almost like on cue, she spoke up, with a normal tone this time. "I….shouldn't live! I can't live anymore…..not like this!" she turned to them, with tears forming in her eyes. What calmed Matsuzaki the most, at the sight of her eyes, was that they weren't as vibrantly red as they had been when she had arrived there. That must have meant that the virus was finally being suppressed by her body once again. This was at the very least a promising sign of recovery.

Matsuzaki: "There's nothing to worry about, Enju!" he tried to reassure her and calm her down with his soothing voice. "Your body has fully reverted back to its human form! It will take you a couple of months for your hair to grow back to how it probably was but that shouldn't concern you too much!" again, clearly they weren't focusing on the actual problem, which annoyed Enju the most.

Enju: "I don't care about how I look! I'm scared of turning back into that…..that…...thing!" she revealed, which made them both realize what her main worry was.

Matsuzaki: "Well, you turned back to your usual self. Shouldn't that mean that you're in the clear, at least for now?"

Enju: "I don't know" the girl responded with a lot of sorrow in her voice. "I don't know anything anymore….my body still feels very weird. I'm scared that at any point I can revert into that spider thing!" desperation was oozing from her voice as well as frustration on her face. She looked like she was at the end of her wits.

Matsuzaki: " _(sighes)_ Enju, that's a natural part of being a Cursed Child. You never know when such a thing will happen again. That's just a reality you have to deal with!" he finally became serious and began speaking from his experience as the guardian of all the Cursed Children living with him in his shelter. "That is indeed a very heavy burden to bear. But….even with that, you can't live your life in fear like this! When it will happen, it will happen!" he didn't really have a real argument for her to calm down. The only thing which he could say and also be truthful was that. Unfortunately, that didn't really make Enju feel any better.

Enju: "YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!" she suddenly yelled back at them. "I…..saw their faces…..the faces of my classmates. They all looked at me like I was a monster, like I was going to eat them alive! Many of them were crying, trembling. I even saw someone who fainted because they saw me!" she began to describe to them her memories of that incident. "Even my friend….she couldn't accept me. She was afraid of me. And I can't blame her! I even attacked two innocent people and infected them! I'm just a Gastrea that's in hibernation! I think I can even feel it, deep within me, waiting to come out at the worst time possible to attack as many as it can! I don't want this anymore…." tears started to run down her cheeks again and her voice began to break. "I can't live like this anymore! I'm a danger to everyone who's around me! I want to die so that no people are endangered!" obviously she wasn't being rational anymore. She was clearly going through a depressive phase. And Matsuzaki didn't really know how to help her.

Enju: "Please…..kill me! I beg you! I don't want to turn into a Spider Gastrea again! I don't want to do those unspeakable things anymore! Please!" she hopped off of her chair and began approaching the two, still crying and in histeria.

Matsuzaki: "I'm not going to kill you, Enju! And I guarantee you that nobody else in this place is going to do it either!" he stated, still not allowing himself to be dissuaded from his stance. He had no intention of fulfilling his wishes.

Enju: "Why?! I'm a danger to everyone living here! I can attack a-…."

Matsuzaki: "I've been living with all the Cursed Children you saw here, under this one roof, for many years. And during all that time, I never once killed any child, even when they knew they were about to turn into a Gastrea! I'm not about to change that policy just because you want me to!" this was one of the very few times during which Matsuzaki would be so stern and stubborn about anything. Normally he would be very flexible, especially when one of the girls came begging to him about something.

This was one of things that he could never compromise though, as it would violate his entire way of life. He had no intention of doing her any harm, even when it was specifically asked for by her.

Enju: "Then…..what happened to them?" came a suddenly surprising question. "What happened to the girls that transformed while they were here? If you never killed them, didn't they hurt anyone here?"

Matsuzaki: "Thankfully not!" came a rather unexpected response. "Every time a girl here was about to transform, she sensed it time. So just before she could transform she would run out of here and escape into the forest nearby. That's why I built this shelter right at the edge of Tokyo, so that they could run away in due time" that was a very fascinating answer.

Enju: "And….what happened to them?"

Matsuzaki: "I don't know honestly….I never went after them. I think that they never wanted me to follow anyway. To this day, I don't know where they are or if they're even still alive! I can only hope that they didn't suffer too much!" that sounded like a terrifying fate, to her at least. That was by no means a calming thing to learn and Enju didn't feel particularly well after it.

Seeing how no one would listen to her, she grabbed the bottom edge of her dress and ripped it apart in front of them.

Enju: "Then, I'll use this dress to hang myself! I can't go on like this! I need to die before that thing comes out again!" and just to prove her point she ripped another part of her now torn fabric in order to obtain a rope-like section of it.

Mirai, seeing how unstable she was, ran up to her before she could do anything that could actually harm her own body and immediately pulled her into a forced embrace.

Mirai: "Please, calm down! You aren't thinking straight! If you're this agitated, the adrenaline might trigger another transformation soon!" she tried to persuade her to stop but that only made the girl even more anxious.

Enju: "That's all the more reason to kill myself! LET GO OF ME!" she tried her best to fight against the embrace but couldn't manage it. Mirai, despite being of an even smaller and weaker constitution than Enju was, had a particularly useful advantage on her side: she had a Gastrea type of virus circulating in her blood, which conferred her enhanced strength across all of her body evenly. This made it impossible for the desperate creature struggling between her arms to escape. "Please…..I beg of you…." she finally fully broke down in tears when she realize she wasn't going to be able to break out of that restraint. "I don't want to go through that nightmare again…..I don't wanna suffer like that again….." but Mirai continued to keep her within her arms.

Mirai: "First, tell me: who do you trust the most in this world?" came a rather strange and unexpected question out of nowhere. Enju didn't really know what to make of that.

Enju: "Why does it matter? It's not impor-…."

Mirai: "I won't let go until you tell me!" that was a good enough reason in itself. Enju hated for being so weak but, in her frenzy, decided to let go since she had very little more to lose at that point.

Enju: "Rentarō…." she said almost in a whisper, barely even managing to pull the willpower necessary to utter that name anymore as the memories of her having had the urge to kill him were still fresh in her brain and haunting her.

Mirai: "Then…..imagine that I am him! Imagine that I'm Rentarō right now, holding you in my arms!" immediately the girl began flailing yet again, trying to break free from her un-welcomed embrace.

Enju: "I DON'T WANT TO! LET GO! I DON'T WANT TO IMAGINE THAT!" with each thrash that she was making, Mirai would only tighten her compression, trying to ensure that whatever was going to happen, she wouldn't be able to escape. Frankly speaking the girl was a danger to herself at that moment and couldn't be trusted to be free.

Mirai: "Imagine that I'm Rentarō and that I want you to calm down! Please! Listen to my voice! Listen to my heartbeats and relax! I'm here for you, Enju!" it was at that moment that something got triggered inside Enju's memories…..a memory of Rentarō having said a very similar line in the past. She remembered it…..she remembered that distant memory quite clearly as it was her brain that intentionally preserved that memory in a very polished state to that day.

Soon afterwards, the girl's own erratic behavior ceased and her thrashings stopped before they could continue to escalate. Seeking to take advantage of this momentary release of emotional restraint, Mirai then moved her hand to the girl's head and began patting her lightly in a calming manner.

Mirai: "Yes…..please calm down! Nothing bad is going to happen to you! Just listen to my breaths! Let my voice guide you out of your despair!" despite the relatively short outburst that Enju had, she calmed down immediately afterwards. The situation seems to have diffused.

Enju then embraced the idea that Rentarō was the one holding her and allowed herself to peacefully be in his arms. She listened to his heartbeats deep within his chest. Those small and precious heartbeats that she always liked listening to while he would sleep, the same heartbeats she always wished she could accelerate with her actions. She wanted to think that was actually Rentarō, because then she could actually feel secure and protected, like she always used to feel.

When seeing that this finally took a turn for the better, Matsuzaki smiled a warm smile, happy to witness such a heartwarming display of affection before conspicuously turning around, exiting the room and closing the door behind him, leaving to two girls to their privacy and hoping that Mirai would continue to assist in calming the girl down.

Hearing the door close, Enju was pulled out of her trance and remembered where she actually was. Realizing how awkward it was for both herself and for Mirai to be that close to each despite having been only mildly acquainted for a relatively short amount of time, she broke the silence:

Enju: "Uh, mind letting me go? I'm calm, I promise!" Mirai tried to listen to Enju's own heartbeats when hearing that by lowing her own head to her chest level. Her heart had slowed down with its pulsing, which meant that the girl allowed herself to calm down.

Mirai: "Fine!" came her reply. As promised, she did let go of her. Enju pulled back with a slight blush on her face, feeling embarrassed.

Enju: "Geez, you didn't have to squeeze me that hard! I could barely breathe!" she accused, still a little perturbed by what had happened.

Mirai laughed lightly at that.

Mirai: "I couldn't really let you go while you were like that. You could have done something which you later would have regretted!" she tried to defend her actions. "Then again, when you thought of me as Rentarō, you did squeeze me back a little….I was a bit surprised!" Enju didn't feel comfortable with this discussion but bit her lip and tried to ignore that comment since she had no intention of letting this topic continue.

Instead she approached her bed and hopped onto it. It was then when Mirai took notice and remembered the horrible state that her new dress was in.

Mirai: "You'll need a new dress to wear!" that much was obvious. It was torn up really badly, arguably in an un-salvageable way. She then grabbed the bowl of soup that Matsuzaki had left behind and offered it to Enju yet again.

The girl sighed, clearly not in the mood of eating. Still, she knew she couldn't continue to refuse food for much longer since these people were already very alarmed because of her condition so she gave in and accepted their kind offer.

Enju: "Thank you!" she let out before grabbing the bowl herself, filling her spoon with the soup and blowing on it to cool it a little. She then pulled the liquid into her mouth. She never liked miso soup that much. In fact, soup in general was not something which she particularly enjoyed.

Still, she tried to be as polite as possible and not be disrespectful towards Mirai's cooking efforts. In an attempt to get her mind off that dish and prevent any more awkward silence between them, Enju tried to spark a conversation again.

Enju: "Where did you learn how to do that?" she casually inquired the girl next to her. She cocked her head to the side, confused, in response.

Mirai: "Do what?"

Enju: "You know….the whole hugging and talking like you were someone I'm comfortable with thingy" she clarified.

Mirai: "Ah….that" she replied with a happy optimistic smile plastered on. "I learned it from my father! He used to do that to me when I was very young and would freak out" that was a very odd thing to hear. "I was prone to panic attacks and was weak when I was very young. So he always would use this to comfort me. It made me really happy" she remembered fondly while recalling her old memories.

Enju: "How come you had a good relationship with your father? I heard that almost all Cursed Children don't get along well with their parents, especially not the fathers!" she didn't realize how insensitive that question was although Mirai did not mind it that much.

Mirai: "I guess I was one of the lucky exceptions. Despite knowing of my condition, daddy still loved me. He protected me all his life, sheltering me from those who would do me harm! I really loved him" she admitted sorrowfully when remembering the last memories she had of her parental figure. "Sadly, he died while trying to keep me safe from a group of hooligans that tried to kill me. Since they ravaged our house and murdered him, I've been living here with Matsuzaki-san" that was an awfully depressing story although such unfortunate tragedies are a common back-story to Cursed Children. Their lives are inherently filled with suffering because of their very nature as mutants infected with the virus that humanity had a particular hatred towards.

Enju: "I'm…..so sorry to hear that" she now felt genuinely bad for this girl.

Mirai: "Don't worry, it's not your fault! I'm sure he would be happy now for me! After all, I've been able to make many friends since I moved here! Friends like you!" that only made Enju feel even worse but she tried to swallow it down along with the soup in her mouth.

Enju: "And your mother? What about her?" that was the next question to naturally follow. Mirai then frowned when hearing that.

Mirai: "She committed suicide soon after giving birth to me and finding out I was…..well, infected" of course, that was also a very common thing to hear. Now Enju regretted having asked such a question in the first place.

Enju: "Oh…." she didn't even know what the proper reaction to that was. After all, as a girl as young as herself, confronting such harsh realities and knowing how to react to them weren't really intuitive yet, despite living a life filled with tragedy as well.

Mirai: "What about you? How are your parents doing?" now it was her turn to reveal the sad memories. Enju didn't really enjoy talking about her past, especially not with strangers, or at the very least people she didn't know for a long time. But at the same time this girl was very nice and felt very patient with her. It would only be cruel to disrespect her cordial feelings of friendship by refusing to act like a friend at all.

Enju: "Well, my mother died when she gave birth to me apparently. I obviously don't remember that…." again, this topic felt very discomforting for her but she tried to ignore that as much as possible and just continue to talk about what she knew of her family. "And as for my father….I don't even know. Rentarō was the only one who read my family records when he became my Promoter and I don't remember him ever mentioning anything about my father. Now that I think about it, I never bothered asking him about it either after I heard that news about my mother. I guess I was always too scared to find out the truth about him as well. I never even saw a picture of him!" now that was a very interesting thing to realize. All her life she had been crying about how she had always been an orphan, yet she never actually explicitly asked about any information about her father specifically. This was now quite an interesting thought she had never had before.

Mirai: "Maybe he's still alive then? Have you never wondered about where he might be?" now that this topic was brought up, Enju was very surprised to realize that the answer to that question was a strict 'no'.

Enju: "I….don't know. I always assumed he died as well. Or at the very least that he never wanted to see me. During all my time that I spent incarcerated since soon after I was born until when Rentarō came to pick me up, I have never seen a single letter from him, nor even a visit. From what I heard, almost no fathers came to any of the girls at my facility at all, myself included" that was a sad reality that she had to eventually accept for herself although Mirai was a bit more optimistic about those types of things.

Mirai: "Maybe they were never allowed to come in contact with you! You shouldn't give up on him like that. To me, at least, daddy was the whole world! If he hadn't been there for me, I wouldn't even be here today! I really am glad that he was there for me to make me smile like he did, to hug me whenever I needed him the most. If you have the chance to meet up with him, you should definitely take it! Especially now when I think you need the support!" that was a little bit too honest from her part but Enju decided to ignore that comment. After all it was a very interesting thing to consider.

But she was scared at the same time. Even if her father was indeed alive, what would he think of her? Did she even have the courage to meet him, especially then after having gone through all that ordeal and running away from home?

Enju: "I don't know….I don't want him to see me when I'm like this! I'm scared that I might end up hurting him! I'm scared that he might hate me for the monster that I am!" she spoke her mind to the girl next to her, trying to convey her lack of confidence in herself.

Mirai: "Enju, it's because you're like this that you need him by your side now! I can only be here with you to support you. So can Matsuzaki-san as well, and all of the other girls living here with us too! But there's only so much that we can all do for you! When you get down to it, the people who can support you the most are the ones who are close to you and your heart. Is there anyone else who you are comfortable with, like Rentarō, who you would be able to run to right now?" at the hearing of that boy's name, Enju's face whitened immediately.

Enju: "No….there's no way I can return to Rentarō. I…..don't want to see him look at me like that…..I don't want to end up wanting to infect him again. I know he wouldn't run away from me even if I was to threaten him in my Gastrea form. It's exactly because of that that I can't be near him anymore….." she confessed with a depressed voice and dissipated willpower. "And besides, I don't want him to call me a monster! I know I deserve it, but if that were to happen, I would probably fully break!" she let out before bringing the final couple of spoonful mouths to her tongue and loweing the emptied bowl back onto the floor while Mirai continued to watch her.

Mirai: "Then at least give your father a chance! If everything else ends up badly and even if he won't like you, at least you saw him. Who knows, given your circumstances, this might be your last chance to see him before you…..uh…." she stopped not really sure if she wanted to continue although Enju obviously got the message quite clearly. Mirai was right. She didn't have much to lose at that point. She didn't trust her own body anymore and she didn't know if she was still infectious now or not. Most likely she was and the virus was still running rampant inside of her. She had no way of proving that and, frankly speaking, she had no desire of ever going to a doctor or a scientist to ask. Hell, she was sure that all of the city and Promoter-Enforcer pairs in Tokyo were probably now searching for her to terminate her before she would get the chance to infect any more unfortunate victims. That was only natural.

Given all of this, how she was now a publicly acknowledged enemy of humanity, this was her last home and the only place she could run to and that was her only chance of actually getting to know the people she had ignored all her life. Now that she didn't know how much she still had to live, she wanted to at least see what her father was like and mayb, if she could indulge herself in even a bit of selfishness, ask for at least a little comfort from him. After all, he had to be reminded of the fact that he had a daughter now while she was still alive, right?

Enju: " _But….I don't even know my father's name…..much less his face or his house's address or phone number. How am I even going to find him?_ " was what she thought to herself then. Rentarō had never mentioned him at all, only having talked to her about her mother. " _Wait….Of course! Rentarō read my family records because he was my Promoter! He got that information from the IISO database that recorded it when my parents handed it over when they gave me to that facility. If I can get back there I might be able to find out what I need from there!_ " yes, it definitely seemed doable now. Of course, that plan was very reckless and posed incredible risks, not only that but she also still harbored a lot of hatred towards that facility even though she had been out of it for almost two full years by then.

The painful memories of having lived as a prisoner in that colorless and depressing building were scarring to say the least for herself. Still she had to do it! And hopefully, the end results of her venture after she will succeed will be worth the effort!


	5. Break in

~IISO Initiator training facility nr. 4, Tokyo~

She spat the food out from her mouth. It was just as fucking disgusting as she had remembered it to be before.

Those scrambled eggs felt so fresh she wasn't yet convinced that they hadn't been taken directly from the chicken's ass just before they broke them to bring them that meal. She had it. She couldn't eat another one of those accursed eggs. If she did, she felt like she was going to vomit the entire contents of her stomach out right then and there.

She needed to get out of that eating room as soon as possible. Even the mere sight of seeing those other girls there eating that crap was making her nauseous.

Random girl: "What's the matter, Mizuki-chan? You don't like omelet?" came a rather annoying voice just from behind her, the voice of another girl about her age who, for whatever reason, decided to make her life even more unbearable than before simply by starting a conversation with her.

Mizuki: "No, I don't! This is the worst thing I've ever eaten all my life! And given the crap they served me here, that's saying a lot!" the girl felt particularly spiteful that day and wanted to let out more anger than normal. Her partner in conversation was also somewhat at fault, though, as she felt particularly venomous to her for whatever reason when talking and so this allowed Mizuki to emotionally free herself from a lot of inhibitions at that moment.

Girl: "Well, they won't be giving you any desserts! So if you won't be eating this now, you'll be going to bed with an empty stomach!" Mizuki couldn't quite put her finger on it, but there was something about how this girl talked with her, something in there that made her particularly angry. She felt like she was being talked down to, even though that didn't seem to be the case. Whatever it was, though, Mizuki didn't feel like hanging around there for too long to talk with someone she wasn't that particularly eager to discuss with.

Mizuki: "That doesn't sound like such a bad idea after all!" she commented haughtily before raising from her seat and beginning to walk away, leaving that other girl she was talking to behind. "I need to get the hell out of here! If I have to eat one more meal from these people I might just get sick!" she could vividly still remember the many many times in the past she had contracted indigestion from some of the food in that facility. Which was a rather odd thing to remark considering that she was among the very few girls who would get it so often. Maybe it was because she had once insulted one of the chefs there and that resulted in them putting some strange crap in her food from then on, who knows? The problem was that she couldn't digest this stuff anymore.

Guard: "Hey there, Mizuki-chan!" came another all too familiar and resented voice out of nowhere. The girl frowned when she had heard it. She recognized that voice all too well. It was from the guard that liked to stalk her a lot. "Not feeling very hungry tonight?" of course he had to be there and watch over her while she ate. At that point she didn't care anymore. That guy would probably watch over her even while she showered. It wouldn't surprise her anymore.

Mizuki: "No, I'm not!" was all she responded with, mostly between her teeth, despising the fact that there were so many people there that popped out of nowhere simply to annoy her. The guard began to nonchalantly follow her to her cell, leaving his post and beginning to tail her like a servant. She hated that, of course, although she was already used to it so she refrained from commenting about it. Instead, she just allowed him to follow her as she knew trying to shake him off was probably more trouble than it was worth.

He never had hurt her, nor was he particularly annoying as some of the girls there. In fact, he was mostly friendly to her, always trying to cheer her up whenever her mood would swing a little too much on the depressed side, much like right then when she was too disgusted with her food.

Mizuki: "I swear, the people cooking here have a thing against me! I'm sure they're holding a grudge or something! Every time I eat, I feel the food here becoming even shittier than before!" she complained audibly while walking across the hallways and making theatrical over-the-top motions with her arms while gesticulating her every single emotion to her now victim as he would only listen over and sigh every so often.

Guard: "You know, if you would only apologize to them like I told you a million times you should, things would be a lot easier for you! I tried putting a good word for you to the chefs here. But there's only so much I can do for you! You also need to show how much you regret it!" that was a laughable thing to say as the girl snorted, while making a strange face.

Mizuki: "Yeah, right! I would rather die before apologizing to those disgusting pigs! If they want to serve me worm infested food, so be it! They won't be hearing apologies from me even when the creatures burrowing in my stomach dig through my flesh and come out at night!" for whatever reason, the guard would always get nightmares in the nights after talking with that girl. He wondered why.

Guard: "Don't take this the wrong way! I like you just the way you are but, sometimes, in life, it's usually a good idea to lower your pride every so often. If you don't know when to do that, you might end up getting caught in crap you won't be able to get out of by yourself. And you'll be buried alive in it!", when seeing the easy opportunity at a comeback with that, the girl didn't hesitate to take it.

Mizuki: "Let me guess, talking from experience? Did you learn that after talking back to your own bosses? Is that how you ended up in this shit hole?" there were many words you could use to describe Mizuki. 'Charming' was not necessarily one of them, as that guard was very well aware. Despite being only ten, as all the other girls who were the oldest in that facility, she had a sailor's mouth. Sometimes he would even wonder what her parents could have been like for their daughter to be so…..descriptive with respect to many of the things going on in that building. Then again, she hadn't met her parents in her entire life, like most of the children there. Still, he couldn't help but wonder.

Guard: "Well, you may call this place however you like to call it. In the end, though, this is your home. So I suggest you get as comfy here as you can because it's among the only places you'll see in the near future!" and of course he had to say something like that to bring her spirits even deeper into depression than they already were. As if her life wasn't miserable enough already without him.

Mizuki: "Oh wow, what? Did the higher ups here just decide to give up on me now? I'm guessing I wasted my goddamn time when applying for the Initiator program, didn't I?" she spat filled with renewed hatred in her voice when realizing what the guard was hinting at.

Guard: "Sadly, from what I heard, at least, you were evaluated to be unfit to participate in this program. So they decided to scrap your application" he decided to be upfront with her, not because he had any particular ill will towards her, but mostly because he knew that this was how she preferred to be dealt with whenever bad news was in store for her. She preferred to be honestly given the information as bluntly as possible rather than have people just beat around the bush and waste her time pointlessly (especially since she hated human interactions to begin with). "I'm sorry, I know how much you want to get out of here. It's just that, they couldn't pair you up with any Promoter yet. They don't think you're ready just yet to-…."

Mizuki: "Oh just cut the crap already!" came a rather sharp and sudden reply from her, interrupting her partner. "I've been here for ten straight years all my life in this god forsaken shit hole. And I've even seen girls younger than me be accepted into that stupid fucking program while I was discarded like a bunch of trash! I can take a fucking hint, you know!" she was being particularly snappy that evening, something which the guard disliked a lot.

Guard: "Well, like I said, if you were a bit less crass about things and tried to be on better behavior, maybe they would reconsider at some point!" he tried to pointlessly reason with her. The girl was already too angry to be argued with logically by that point, though.

Mizuki: "Fuck you! I don't need you, nor anyone else's help to get out of here! And hell, even if I do, I'll rather rot away in my cell before any of you pieces of shit will hear me say 'please' and 'I'm sorry' to your asses!" she made herself crystal clear to the man in front of her. She had no intention of becoming any less abrasive, not even to him, that day. The young man sighed, clearly displeased with her attitude although he didn't comment on it too much.

Guard: "One day you'll regret those words, Mizuki-chan! Just so you know, I'm one of your very few allies here! One day I might not come to your cell to help you out anymore, and then you'll regret having talked to me like that!" he said before unlocking the girl's door and opening it for her to enter. She did just that before grabbing the door herself and preparing to slam it in his face.

Mizuki: "One day, I won't be here for you to visit at all! I'll be out of this hell, running away in freedom beyond these walls! And then you'll have to find another friend to talk to, you lonely fucking pervert!" and she just slammed the door in his face, without any remorse at all on her face. The man sighed once again, before turning around to leave her alone. There was no point in locking the door despite her already clearly planning on going to sleep. The automatic lock on her door would ensure that when the sleeping hour would hit, as per that facility's schedule.

The girl dropped her seemingly heavy body on her bed, hugging the cold pillow under her. The same odorless pillow that awaited her every day when she would return to her bedroom.

The people who changed her sheets there were thorough, indeed. Every day they would come to change all the bed sheets, even her pillow, with brand new ones to replace them. Now, that was only standard conduct to follow when dealing with an infectious environment filled with patients that had virus particles inside of them that were very dangerous. Still, the constant enforcement of impeccable hygienic standards meant that everything was very dull, very hospital-like. She couldn't even remember the smell of her own body because of how often they would wash and change her sleeping appendages as well as her pajamas and all the other clothing accessories that she wore.

That sterile environment was only sharply contrasted with the foods that they were fed on a daily basis: foods that were so foul and so despicably mushed together that she wondered if the chefs in that place were deliberately trying to see each day what crap they could get away with when fixing their 'meals'.

Mizuki: "I'm sick of this fucking place!" that entire facility was so lifeless, so colorless and so sterile while also having so very few things for all the girls living there to do that she began, at some point, to count the bricks that were visible in the walls. For a child to be that bored was a very depressing thing.

And what was even worse about that entire ordeal was the fact that, apparently, even the minuscule chance she once had when she had applied for the Initiator program to get out of there, had been mercilessly squashed by the higher up pigs that were overlooking the entire activities in that place. Because of course they would, why wouldn't they?

Yeah, they weren't happy with her attitude. They didn't want an unrefined girl like herself to represent their organization to the outside world.

Mizuki: "Well, they can just go ahead and suck on my vagina if they don't like it!" she had it with all the filth going on in that place. Literally, she felt sick even thinking about it. Yeah, chances are she wasn't going to ever be allowed to step foot outside. Not if any one of them had any say in the matter, anyway. And you know what? She didn't give a fucking shit anymore! She lost all hope in them helping here, anyway.

If there was any way she was going to get out of that place, it was if she made it happen herself! After all, what person can you put your absolute faith into and trust that they'll never betray you, other than yourself?

She didn't expect assistance from the other girls living there with her. After all, the majority of them were enrolled and accepted into the Initiator Program, which meant that, sooner or later, they will be paired with a Promoter somewhere and be allowed to walk out. And all of this will happen while she would remain there, put down and abandoned in the depths of the hallways there, forgotten by everyone. She had no family, no friends….nobody to await her on the other side or worry about her. And that was what was the most frustrating of all.

Mizuki: "If only….I had a way of getting out of here" she spoke softly into her pillow, fantasizing of the outside world. She attempted to run away before, although all of her attempts had been unsuccessful. Every time she did that, she learned a little bit more about that facility and how to bypass the securities there and with each attempt she could feel how much closer she was than the previous ones to reach the sunlight beyond the reinforced doors there.

Still, it wasn't like there were no drawbacks to her escapades. Last time when she had attempted to run away and got caught in the process, the guards decided to give her a prolonged stay in The Room, a punishment that is seldom used there and one that is usually given only to particularly insistent delinquents. She was forced to spend three days in there, which made her almost go insane.

Now, she was way more reluctant in her escape ventures. Her suffering was so great that it served as a warning to all the other girls there to behave themselves or else they will get the same treatment. Fear was, after all, one of the greatest manipulation tools for humans. Being used as an example in front of her peers in such a degrading way was particularly painful for her. Needless to say that, while she was more willing than ever before to run away from that place, she was also now more scared than ever, simply because they might increase her punishment even further this time to make her repent.

That would probably be sufficient to break her, which is something she didn't want for them to ever enjoy the satisfaction of. If she was going to break out, she had to do it perfectly this time. If she made another mistake or would end up unsuccessful, she didn't even want to think of the consequences she would have to endure.

Mizuki: " _If only it wasn't so difficult….The security these guys have here is ridiculous._ _Still, it'll only take one lucky day for me. And when that'll happen, I'll be the one laughing_ _….._ " she hated feeling this weak. Unable to escape from such a place felt very demeaning to herself and while she hated to admit it, it likely was impossible to achieve such a feat all by herself. The only problem was, she didn't trust anyone there since all the girls now would surely be unwilling to assist her and risk being pulled out of the Initiator Program too if they joined her in her rebellious actions(or worse and be sent into The Room as well).

But, luckily for her, her wish did come true at that moment when the alarm in that facility began to resound across the hallways, the same alarm that would be activated whenever the building was meant to enter lock-down. This could only mean one thing: someone was probably trying to escape that place too right then.

Mizuki immediately got out of bed and ran towards the door to force it open before the lock on it would trigger in response to the alarm. Thankfully, she did open it in time and exited her room quickly in order to further investigate what was going on.

~Control room~

All the computer operators in the room were panicking, seemingly distressed because of the events that were transpiring before them. All of the people there were agitated, typing with inhuman speeds on their keyboards and trying to follow the protocols to the best of their knowledge while also trying to maintain their own calm.

Suddenly, the door to that room was shut wide open and an old man, seemingly in his late 50s, fully clothed in military body armor, made his appearance.

Daikichi: "All units, report!" came his deep and insistent voice, disrupting the men in that room who had been operating the computers there and forced their attention onto himself. "This is General Okazaki Daikichi, from the Japanese Self Defense Forces. I'm in charge with this facility tonight as the military adviser as well as local supervisor!" he introduced himself to the civilians there professionally while also trying to maintain his composure. "I want a status report, now!" now that he identified himself as well as his military role, he immediately went to business and began giving orders to everyone in order to perform his duties. While still very distressed, the men quickly responded to his request.

Operator 1: "Hai!" one of the men, the least busy one from the bunch, rose from his seat in an uptight position and began speaking loudly. "We're in a state of lock-down! The alarm was automatically triggered by someone entering an unauthorized area of the facility. We couldn't identify her yet but we have reason to believe that she's a Cursed Child!" the man dryly yet professionally reported to his superior. Hearing this, the older individual sighed.

Daikichi: "It figures….another one of the girls here is trying to break out. At this point I can't even say I'm surprised!" the fact that he had been in charge of multiple facilities of that nature in the past and had witnessed many of such attempted break outs just proved the man's advanced experience with respect to those circumstances.

However, the operator decided to correct his misconception.

Operator 1: "I'm afraid that's not the case, Daikichi-sama! This isn't the result of someone trying to break out. Rather, it's the result of a girl trying to break in!" came the rather unexpected revelation.

Daikichi: "WHAT?!"

~Random hallway in that facility~

Enju was making her way through the maze-like corridors there, trying her best to recall exactly in which direction she should head to arrive at the nearest computer terminal. Sadly for her, things weren't going her way since, even though she knew that facility quite well having had the displeasure of spending the majority of her life in there, she couldn't orient herself easily as the design of that building was done in such a way to be difficult to navigate through when anyone was trying to rush through it. That was an intentional design so that people trying to escape would easily get confused and lost in its many hallways.

Hell, if she had no prior knowledge of that place, she was certain she would have been lost by that point. She was already deep within the compound, having passed multiple checkpoints already and dealing with all the guards that had tried to intercept her. She made sure not to kill anyone on her way in, doing her best to leave everyone that was unfortunate enough to be in her path unconscious but without permanent injuries. She already had a guilty conscience from the time she had attacked innocent people in her Gastrea form. She didn't need any more memories to suppress.

Finally, after much running, she came upon the end of the hallway she was running through and encountered a locked metal door blocking her path.

Enju: "Great….now I have to remember that stupid code…." she cried anxiously while approaching the keypad on the wall next to the door. "Let's see….what was it? 5540?" she typed in that code to see if it worked. One of the LEDs on the keypad blinked a bright red three times afterwards, indicating the device's refusal to accept this key. Apparently she was wrong. "No? Uh…..maybe 5530?" she continued to input more codes, hoping to eventually reach a successful combination. Sadly that code she was trying to remember had been revealed to her during the days she was still an inhabitant in that building. She first heard that code more than two years before. Needless to say, her memory didn't seem particularly cooperative then.

Eventually, after a small number of attempts, the device's green LED blinked this time and a loud click was heard from the door, an indication that she finally succeeded. Enju proceeded to open the door wide and then she used her enhanced strength in her legs to kick the keypad on the wall, effectively breaking it and interrupting the door's electrical circuit to ensure that it wouldn't get locked by any system or human again in the future so that she could reuse this same route to escape that place once she would finish her business there.

With that out of the way, she continued her journey deep into the building.

After another couple of minutes of running, she arrived in a room with her target in it: an active computer that was laying on a table there. Sadly the computer was being used by two soldiers who failed to notice her arrival and who were focusing on the data displayed on the screen.

She seized this opportunity and jumped towards one of them, effectively kicking them with her legs and making him fly across to the room and hit the wall hard. Luckily for him, he was wearing his helmet which protected his skull from the impact, something which allowed Enju to be a bit more forceful in her kick than normal. She then turned her attention towards the other one too, who backed away a little, suddenly afraid of her because of her display of power. He pushed his hand into his jacket and pulled out a Taser, pointing it towards her.

All the soldiers there had no actual guns on them. This was an IISO rule to prevent the personnel in that facility from actually killing any of the Cursed Children inside whenever they felt like it. While this was a logical thing to do from their perspective, it left all the security in there highly vulnerable to attacks from super human creatures like Enju, with very little to use in self defense outside some pepper sprays and the aforementioned Tasers, as well as other exotic non-lethal weapons.

The soldier was clearly trembling before her, a pathetic sight given how Enju was clearly only a ten year old girl and he looked like he was in his thirties.

Enju: "If you promise to run away and never return, I won't hurt you!" the girl tried to calm him down while also closely paying attention to his movements, trying to read his future actions at every step.

Daikichi: "How noble of you" came a voice from an entirely different direction. Before Enju could turn her head to ascertain her new enemy, a huge strong net was shot from a nearby soldier's gun in her vicinity. The net expanded while in midair, not allowing Enju enough time to properly react. It landed onto herself, trapping her in its hold. The girl naively thought that this was all they had to offer and so she tried to push the net off of her. But before she could do that, the same soldier who had fired it pressed a button on a remote he had in his belt. Immediately after that the net activated and strong electrical currents began to travel through it, stunning Enju and making her fall over, getting even more entrapped inside it.

Seeing how easily they disposed of their target, General Daikichi smirked while finally making his way cautiously towards his prey.

Daikichi: "I have to say I am a bit surprised. Never in my life had I heard of a Cursed Child trying to break in one of IISO's training facilities instead of trying to escape from them. To be honest, I can't really blame how easy it was for you to sabotage our devices and make your way in here up until this point, given how this place is meant to keep people inside from getting outside, rather than the opposite" the girl again tried to struggle her way out but the soldier promptly responded by zapping her again, to ensure that she wouldn't succeed. "How come you decided to do something so reckless, deary? I assume, since you managed to penetrate our facility this quickly, that you already had prior knowledge of how this building is structured and what passwords the personnel here uses. Which leads me to believe that you're just a poor girl who had the misfortune of getting outside, only to later become nostalgic for her home and come back" he remarked sarcastically while staring at her, in an attempt to identify features that would allow him to recognize her. Sadly for him, though, given her lack of hair on her head, that wasn't really possible.

Enju again, tried her best to roll out of the net but was zapped yet again. The current being sent into her body was very strong, which disrupted electrical signals from her nervous system and made her muscles contract on their own, which made it very difficult for her to coordinate her movements in such a way as to get out from under that net.

Daikichi: "Well, don't you worry your pretty little head. From now on, we'll be taking you under our care once again! And this time, we'll do a better job at convincing you to stay with us!" her heart skipped a beat when hearing that. She was scared. She didn't want to return to that facility as an inmate, of all things. She needed her freedom. She wasn't going to allow them to squash her plans, especially not then when her future was so uncertain.

She tried freeing herself one final time, a futile attempt that ended much in the same way as all of the previous ones. Panicking, she lost control of most of her rational thinking and began to act like an animal trying to get away from her captors.

But before they could actually grab her and pull her away, the lights in the room went off all of a sudden, surprising everyone there.

Daikichi: "What the fucking hell?! Why is there a power outage during a fucking lock-down? Don't you people have backup generators?!" he asked indignant, feeling very pissed at the lack of security features that should have been present there. However, the response he got from the communicator piece he had in his ear was not one that made him feel very comfortable.

 **Operator: "About that…..it isn't really a power outage. The facility is still being powered normally. The problem is that the room you're standing in got cut off from the grid!" his heart beats increased in frequency when hearing that. Such a cut off was far too unlikely to be a coincidence, given that it happened in their room specifically and during this precarious time.**

Daikichi: "All units! Prepare for combat! I think someon-…." but he was cut off by the screaming of one of his men as the soldier yelled in despair, alarming everyone there. It was dark because there were no lights so they couldn't see exactly what happened to their friend. However, his scream immediately stopped after only a couple of seconds when the snapping of his neck was heard. That sent chills down the men's spines. "Who the hell is there?! Did the girl escape?!" he asked what was a natural question at that point. To check, the soldier that previously had tortured Enju by activating the net's electric flow, moved his hand to the remote and pressed the button again, to activate the trap again. Instantly almost, Enju's screams were heard again, indicating that she was still under the net and hadn't escaped. Which meant that their attacker was somebody else.

Daikichi: "Shit…..Does any of you have night vision equipment they can put on?!" that was a laughably late request to make. It was made even more pointless because of the fact that the answer was no. Nobody had the necessary means to see through that thick darkness.

The main disadvantage of that facility was the fact that it was architecturally designed to have almost no windows, to prevent easy escape. This meant, however, that the only means of illumination possible in the interior were artificial ones as neither sunlight, moonlight nor starlight could creep through any crevices or transparent materials inside. This left everyone there vulnerable while they waited for their pupils to adjust to the darkness to allow at least some minor adaptation to their surroundings.

However, their enemy wasn't about to allow them that luxury.

Another one of the soldiers, who was anxiously waving his Taser around, trying to predict where their attacker would strike next, felt the presence of the enemy besides him. He couldn't really see her but he heard her footsteps when she ran to the spot she was standing then. Knowing that the steps were way too light to be of one of their own, he concluded it was most likely their enemy and so he directed his weapon towards the general direction of where he believed she was and prepared to shoot at her with it.

Soldier: "Got you, you little bitch!" but just before he pressed the trigger, the figure quickly vanished and behind it, in the direction of his aim, another one appeared. This one was a more masculine and bigger one but before the soldier could stop his attack and make out who it was, he shot the wires, his Taser making contact with one of his colleagues. Despite being a relatively small device, it still managed to severely disable the other soldier, who was caught off guard. "Shit! Are you kidding me?!" he complained once he realized that he immobilized one of his own friends before dropping the gun and trying to run to his friend on the ground. It was then when he was struck as well and his own scream agonizingly spread through the whole room before being silenced by another snap of the neck.

Daikichi: "What in the fuck is going on here?!" the man, realizing he was the last one that remained backed up into a corner, his own Taser gun pointing forward as drops of sweat began to fall from his chin. "Who the fuck is this? Why are you doing this to us?!" his voice was shaking, something which he was trained never to allow under such circumstances. It felt like all of his previous training had been for nothing now when he lost most of his calm because of hearing his own friends die before him.

Mizuki: "Oh, how pathetic you are now, little man" came the voice of a seemingly very young girl from the darkness. That voice….he felt like he had heard it before. Yeah, it felt very familiar…..maybe a girl living in that facility? He couldn't recall who she was though. But before he could actually remember for himself, she struck his abdomen at an incredible speed, so high that he had no chance of sensing it in time to dodge. He spewed a great deal of acid that came up his throat as blood vessels up his nose ruptured and rivers of blood began to flow down his face. The girl wasn't about to allow him to recover, though, as she quickly grabbed his own Taser from his holder while he was whimpering.

Mizuki: "You don't look like you have that much to live anymore….I'll do you a favor and let you live! Enjoy your retirement!" and with that she activated his Taser and shot the darts into his body. He collapsed because of the intense currents invading him, falling on the floor, convulsing violently. The girl, proud of her own actions, let out a sigh of relief, happy to have gotten rid of some of the security personnel there. Without them to get in her way, she could now see if she could escape.

She then remembered about Enju, who was still on the floor, crying and trembling in fear, not knowing what was even going on and being scared because of the screams. Mizuki rolled her eyes.

Mizuki: "It's OK! I won't hurt you!" she tried to calm the girl on the floor down. She slowly approached Enju and picked up the net she was covered with and began to try to unravel it to get her out of there.

Enju: "T-thank you!" the girl calmly and lowly responded, trying to wipe the tears from her eyes.

Mizuki: "You don't have to thank me. It's me who should be thanking you, actually, for finally giving me this chance!" was her surprising confession, which baffled Enju for a moment.

Enju: "A chance? A chance to do what?"

Mizuki: "For what do you think? For escaping this shit hole, of course!" came the nonchalant reply of her new friend. "I've been trying to run away from this place for years! Now it's finally my chance!" she declared happily, almost with uncharacteristic amounts of energy.

Enju: "…..you seem awfully carefree for someone who killed these people here. Aren't you sad for doing this?" even though she hadn't been able to see it with her own eyes because of the lack of light, she was sure that the sounds she heard were those of necks snapping.

Mizuki: "Eh? Why should I be sad? If I hadn't done it, they would have sent me back to my cell! I had no choice in the matter!" Enju would have argued that she could have just left all of them unconscious, as she had already done so with two of them before she had even arrived in that room, but she didn't feel like arguing with her. Either way, Mizuki felt like the best chance Enju had in getting out of there alive, much in the same way that she herself was to Mizuki. Both of them realized how vital it probably was for both of them to work together to get out of there so they agreed to help each other get out.

Enju: "I can't see anything! How could you maneuver so well in the darkness? Hell, how can you see anything in this place?!" she questioned a little impressed.

Mizuki: "I'm a Model Owl. My eyesight in darkness is not only just as good but even better than that in broad daylight! That's why I cut off the power to this room! To take advantage of the soldiers' handicaps!" that sounded logical enough although a bit cruel and unfair to the men that were left defeated behind by them. "Anyways, never mind that! We need to get out of here before the lock-in finishes! I can guide you by hand until we reach an illuminated area!" she began pulling on Enju's hand, trying to guide her to the door. However, Enju suddenly resisted her pull when feeling that.

Enju: "Wait! I'm not going anywhere until I get to a computer terminal here!" she suddenly interrupted her companion's overzealous exit.

Mizuki: "What?! Why?! Don't you think we already spent too much time here? If we wait any longer I don't think we'll ever be able to get out of this place!" she tried to complain, clearly not wanting to squander her only chance at freedom just because of Enju's nonsensical wishes.

Enju: "Don't worry! I broke all of the door locking mechanisms in my route to this room! We can retrace my path to get back out since those doors won't be functional anymore and so they won't be locked!" she tried to reassure her.

Mizuki: "Even then….what possibly can you do with a computer? Why is it so important to you?" she still questioned, not yet convinced. Enju didn't know how to answer that in a way that could make her friend agree with her. So she just used the straight forward approach.

Enju: "There's just something I need to do! I can't really tell you the details now. Can you get me to a room where power is still on? I assume you know this building more than I do since you've been here for longer!" again, Mizuki sighed, annoyed but not giving up on Enju just yet, conceding to her requests and then suddenly pulling her into a different direction than before, trying to lead her to another room with a computer in it.

Mizuki: "I swear, if we get caught along the way, I'll beat the shit out of you once they'll throw us in our cells!"

~Other room~

The door flung open and both girls entered as quickly as they could inside. Thankfully for them, this was in an area where power was still running and a functional terminal was on a desk in the room. Enju's face lit up at the sight of the computer. She quickly seized this opportunity and jumped on the seat next to the keyboard and mouse. The computer had the user account locked, which meant that the system was accessible to anyone who had the password for that particular account.

Mizuki: "Great! Now what?" she asked angrily, although Enju ignored her and began typing away to fill in the password field. At the first couple of attempts, the system kept refusing the passwords, labeling them invalid and denying access, which prompted Mizuki to comment on the seemingly pointless attempts.

Mizuki: "You're wasting your time! And not only that but you're wasting both of our precious opportunities! You won't be able to guess the passw-…." but before she could finish, Enju finally typed in the correct password and the computer unlocked the account in front of them. "….huh?"

They were greeted with a primitive, very purpose-oriented interface that had a lot of search fields and records displayed in a table next to them. The records had a column of full names, pictures right next to them in a different column, and other such information.

Mizuki: "How did you do that? Where did you get the password from?!"

Enju: "Back when I was living here, one of the girls caught a glimpse of a note from a guy who was new at the job, the note containing the password he had to use. I'm surprised they didn't change their passwords even after three years!" she responded while trying to figure out how to use that database program. "Now, let's see if I'm still in their system…." she typed in her name into one of the search boxes and then pressed a button. Immediately the program returned a single entry in the table, an entry marked with her name. "Bingo!" she exclaimed happily.

She then went on to click on that entry and a new window appeared in the foreground, with a lot of information about none other than herself. The information was extremely detailed, covering her date of birth, place of birth, current home address (or, more specifically, Rentarō's home address as well as phone number), the fact that Rentarō was her Promoter, and, the most important information from her perspective at that moment, data about her parents.

She focused her eyes on the status field next to her parents' entries, only to confirm, to her disappointment, that her mother was indeed officially dead, much like how Rentarō had told her in the past. What was a bit more interesting, though, was the status for her father was 'UNKNOWN'. The girl, confused by this, tried to check for a phone number although it was marked as 'EXPIRED' so she dropped that idea. Finally, she took a look at the home address that was recorded there with respect to her father. She pulled out a pen and a paper that she had received from Matsuzaki the day before and copied that address on it in haste, as well as her father's name.

Enju: "I'm done!" she finally declared to Mizuki, who was stressed out of her mind and pacing back and forth in front of the desk, waiting for Enju to finish.

Mizuki: "About time! Let's go!" she ordered, to which Enju nodded while hopping down from the seat she was standing on and rushing after her towards the exit. "After this is all over, I'm going to enjoy a nice and long life outside! Nobody will ever catch me!" the adrenaline rush as well as the excitement were very obvious in her voice, almost to an eerie degree.

Enju: "Have you ever been outside before? Do you even know where you want to live?" came what any person would inquire. The girl didn't really understand the point in those questions.

Mizuki: "Why does it fucking matter? As long as I'll be away from this hell, I'm fine with it! I'll manage one way or another!" that was either a statement filled with a lot of courage, or with a lot of reckless stupidity. Enju suspected it was a little bit of both.

Enju: "Huh…..I think I know just the right place for you!" she said out loud, surprising her companion.

~Underground complex~

The two girls arrived at the complex where Enju had been before she departed for the IISO facility. It was Matsuzaki's, as well as all the Cursed Children under his care, home. While dilapidated and mostly isolated from the rest of the city, especially since it was in the very outskirts of Tokyo, it was still a place where one could at the very least live in the bare minimum of conditions. This made it the haven for all the poor girls who were living a life without any support there.

Enju: "This will be your home from now on! I'm not sure how much you'll enjoy it but it's the best I can think of!" Mizuki and Enju entered the complex, walking slowly inside and descending into dark chambers. The air felt stale and had a cold and unpleasant odor to it which made Mizuki feel sick.

Mizuki: "How do I know if it's safe here? I killed those guards and I'm sure the IISO will do everything in its power to track me down, now that I escaped. Wouldn't it be a better idea if I left Tokyo altogether?" she was obviously having second thoughts with respect to Enju's offering. While the place felt eerie and not very welcoming, she was sure she could adapt to it in due time. What was actually more concerning for her was to be sure that nobody would betray her while staying there and forcefully send her back to the facility. She doubted they will ever allow her to walk away unpunished for killing their own men if they were to capture her. As such, she was very wary of almost any stranger that would be living with her. "Especially since you even told me that there's a regular man living here with all of these girls. How do you know he's not secretly working for IISO to monitor all of the girls living under his care?" came a valid concern.

Enju couldn't really think of a proper way of answering, as she had no proof that Matsuzaki was in fact innocent of that accusation. However, as someone who had relied on him multiple times in the past, she felt like she knew him well enough to at least recommend him as well as his shelter as possible options.

Enju: "I've been helped by him many times in the past. He's a good man. He never wanted anything out of these girls and offered them free stay, clothes and food. He did that to me as well when I needed them!" she tried to reassure her as best as she could. "I can't say for sure if he is or isn't. But during all the time I've spent down here, I can honestly say that he was the friendliest figure that I have met. Even friendlier than all the other girls living here" Mizuki raised one of her eyebrows at that, not really sure how to interpret that considering how most of her life had contained people who never helped others out of good will or anything. In her past experience, everything came with a cost so this felt awfully suspicious to her.

Mizuki: "And you say he'll never sell me back to that worthless hellhole? Even if I act shitty to him?" she tried to clarify, still considering the possibility of maintaining her less than friendly persona.

Enju: "I've never seen him angry, at least. Although, I suggest you be nice to him too. He's very busy with almost everything he does. You shouldn't be-…."

Matsuzaki: "As long as you're nice to everyone here, and follow proper manners, at least, I will guarantee that everyone else here will also be nice to you!" came the loud deep voice of the old man who suddenly made his appearance. "After all, respect is a mutual thing, much like friendship and love. And while I don't want us to even be friends, I do believe that it would be best if you could at least get along with the other girls here. In this place, the only thing you can provide to others as well as receive is companionship, after all" he approached the two. Enju's face immediately lit up when seeing him, as she quickly became happy once again.

Enju: "I'm back home, Matsuzaki-san" she said happily as the man smiled warmly at her in response.

Matsuzaki: "Welcome back, Enju-chan! You're late for dinner!" he replied before focusing his attention onto her friend. "And I see you brought a friend with you too. Will she be attending dinner with us as well?" he asked, slipping an invitation already to the girl.

Mizuki: "Nice to meet you" she said, barely managing to speak those words. She felt very unaccustomed to proper etiquette. "My name is Mizuki Natsumushi. I'm a….a…." she didn't know how to phrase this. She still didn't trust this man enough yet to feel comfortable to reveal the fact that she was an escapee from the IISO.

Matsuzaki: "You're from the same facility where Enju-chan grew up, aren't you?" he replied, making the girls stare back at him amazed for having guessed that. "It wasn't that hard to figure out. After all, Enju announced where she was going when she left. When seeing her return with you, I just had to put two and two together" that made Mizuki feel even more uncomfortable although she swallowed her own saliva silently, trying to maintain cordiality.

Mizuki: "I….escaped with her. I couldn't stand that place. They were treating us like animals there! I wanted to see how the sun at least looked like! And the moon and stars! I want to see the outside! I don't care where I'll live or in what fucking conditions! I just want to be free!" she was jumbling her own words a bit, clearly nervous and not really sure how to approach the subject. "Are you someone who will be nice to me?" she asked, timidly, which was actually unlike her character although she had gotten so emotional during her speech that she began to feel weirdly motivated and invested a little.

Matsuzaki: "You are welcome to stay here for as long as you want! After all, you're not the first girl who escaped from the IISO facility who would live here. Just try to be nice to everyone and we shall accept you!" even though she would never admit it, that was exactly what Mizuki wanted to hear.

Mizuki: "Are….you OK with this? Even though the police will be looking for me? Won't bad things happen to you if you keep me here?" she still had a very pessimistic attitude although that was entirely understandable. "Hell, I even…..uh…..killed a couple of guys"

Matsuzaki: "Like I said, as long as you'll be nice to all of us here and don't cause trouble for others, you'll be allowed to stay. All of your past sins will eventually be forgotten in due time, even by you! And as far as others looking for you here, I wouldn't worry too much about that. This shelter here is hidden from the public eyes. And even though there are some people that know of my existence, they don't bother with me regardless of what happens. To many abandoned Cursed Children, this is the only option they have as nobody else will take them in or provide them anything! The only other thing they could do is travel out of Tokyo to explore for a better place, although I don't really recommend that since then it's you alone against nature and against the hordes of Gastrea roaming endlessly across deserted plains for many many kilometers" he let out the sad and depressing reality that she had been hidden from all of her life.

Mizuki: "Wait….you mean to say that Tokyo is humanity's last bastion? There's nowhere left to go?" she questioned, almost baffled by that news.

Matsuzaki: "No. There are still a couple of other places around the world that survive to this day where humans try to live more or less natural lives. The closest one you can get to from here is Shanghai, and to arrive there, you'll have to travel over one thousand and five hundred kilometers by yourself, as well as somehow sail across the East China Sea. Not to mention, you'll have to learn Mandarin to survive there. And, please don't let me convince you if your intentions are different, but I sincerely doubt you want to start such a journey by yourself" she was left speechless when hearing that, mostly because of how complicated it sounded. She hadn't gone to school all her life, so big numbers like 'one thousand and five hundred' didn't mean much to her, nor did she even know what kilometers were. Even so, the way he portrayed it felt very discouraging to say the least.

The girl stood there, thinking to herself a little, trying to contemplate what her future actions should be. She was unsure as of what to do. She wanted to get as far away from that accursed building as possible and, since she had never actually met a Gastrea before she didn't feel that scared of them and was confident in surviving if she were to confront them. But….she was scared. She didn't want to go through all of this crap.

Mizuki: "If I choose to remain here, will I be able to leave whenever I want to?" the man nodded to that, which made her feel a little bit more comfortable. That alone made that place better than that accursed facility. "And will I be able to choose what I eat?" to her, that felt like a fundamental right that she was entitled to. Sadly, the man shook his head in response to that, signaling that this one wasn't really possible.

Matsuzaki: "No. There are many mouths to feed here and not a lot of money I have. I try to feed everyone living here equally and even then I barely manage. I'm afraid you'll have to eat what everyone else here does. I try to buy the best ingredients and the girls put their best in their cooking here, so I don't think that will be a problem though" that wasn't really the answer she wanted to receive but, honestly, she didn't actually expect it to be any different.

Mizuki: " _So I'm just moving from one shitty place to another, huh?_ " as much as she wanted to refuse and seek a better alternative for herself, the prospect of living at least a free life without the worry of hunting for her own food, scavenging or, even worse, begging, was quite an attractive one. Since she knew very little about the outside world and would probably have a very though time on her own, she decided to take him up on his offer, even if just for a little while she gets accustomed on how to survive by herself. She didn't plan on staying there forever but, at the same time, he had promised her that she would be able to leave whenever she wanted to so that wouldn't be a problem.

Mizuki: "Well then, I'll be under your care, mister…." she didn't know how to address him.

Matsuzaki: "Please, call me Matsuzaki! And I hope you'll enjoy our humble home, Mizuki-chan!" he already attributed the '-chan' honorific to her name, marking a rather sudden and uncomfortable shift in friendliness from his part but she decided to not give it too much attention for now. "You're just in time for supper! I'll try to introduce you to all the girls here. Do try to make friends with them, please!" and with that, the girl reluctantly nodded before Enju interrupted their conversation.

Enju: "Matsuzaki-san, I'm sorry for interrupting. I have something to do for now and I would rather skip dinner!" that attracted the man's attention.

Matsuzaki: "You don't want to eat tonight with us, Enju? Did you not like our supper yesterday?" he asked a bit worried, although the girl shook her head to deny that.

Enju: "No….it's not about that. I managed to find some information there at the facility about my father's whereabouts. I don't have a phone number, so I'll have to go there myself!" she said, with pleading eyes, trying to convince him to let her go.

Matsuzaki: "I don't keep you here by force, Enju! You can do as you wish, although given how little time passed since you broke out of that building, I would suggest at least waiting the night out! The police might actively start a search for you again, so it's best if you won't be caught wandering on the streets by yourself, especially during the night!" that was a fairly normal concern to have given Enju's circumstances. "Not to sound insensitive but, are you sure he's still…..well….alive, though?" given the nature of how Cursed Children come into existence, that was a valid concern.

Enju: "I don't know….The computer said his status is unknown. I don't really know what that means. But I want to find out anyway!" she responded filled with renewed vigor, which warmed Matsuzaki's heart but also concerned him to some extent.

Mizuki: "What?!" came a surprised reaction from the girl next to them. "You broke into that facility, risking to get caught, just so you could find your father?! Why do you care about him at all? Did he even visit you while you were at the facility?"

Enju: "No….he didn't" the girl admitted, while lowering her head. "To be honest, I don't even know how he looks like. I don't remember ever seeing him. Still, I want to at least meet him before I….well….before I disappear" she explained, sorrow in her voice.

Mizuki: "What if he doesn't want to see you though? What will you do then?" again, came almost the same question that she herself had once asked. Frankly speaking, she had no plan for what to do when that happens outside of just coping with it in the moment.

Enju: "I don't know….but still, I want to take that risk! If only for just a second, I at least want to see his face!" that was a sad thing to say. In response to that, Mizuki quieted down and dropped the argument, deciding to not continue partaking in that awkward conversation.

Matsuzaki: "If I may suggest, would it be fine if I were to visit your father first?" came a rather unexpected request. Enju froze a little, not really sure how to react to that.

Enju: "Why?" came the obvious retort. The man sighed in response.

Truthfully he wanted to ensure that the man would pose no threat to the girl's life. There had been a number of recorded cases in the past when the fathers of a couple of Cursed Children did attempt to take their own off-springs' lives away from them. Such cases were rare, indeed, but they still existed. As a paternal figure to those girls there, including to Enju now, he felt like it was his responsibility to at least judge the man's behavior before he would encourage Enju to meet him.

Matsuzaki: "I want to make sure this isn't a trap set up by the IISO to get you into their hands again. If the police figured out who you were and what your intentions were, they might just plant an ambush there to get to you!" he lied, trying to not reveal the possibility that her father might want to kill her to her. After all, given how enthusiastic she was to meet him, it would only damage her if she were to learn of such a prospect.

Enju stood there, thinking to herself if this was really what she wanted. She really wanted to be alone when meeting her father, mostly because she wanted this to be like a family reunion. She also wanted to meet him first but the possibility of this being a trap was still there, although very small. She was afraid of the IISO or anyone else, for that matter, capturing her and she couldn't rule out the possibility that their computers were purposefully made to display bogus information to lead intruders like her into their arms once again. Again, it was a very unlikely for them to do that, but it was still possible.

Enju: "I don't know…." she felt unsure about this. She didn't want to attract any mistrust from her father so having strangers introduce themselves to him before she could didn't feel like such a good idea.

Matsuzaki: "Please, Enju! Trust me on this!" he continued to press on, trying to be as persuasive as he could. Eventually, the girl conceded.

Enju: "Fine! But if he really is my father then I want to meet him afterwards alone!"


	6. Acknowledgement of reality

~Random courthouse, Tokyo~

Judge: " _(clears throat)_ Allow me to describe to you the current situation, Satomi Rentarō-san!" the judge began speaking with a very deep and powerful voice, resonating through the room as all the people stood there, staring at him. "Right now, you are being charged with negligence at work place by twelve different people! All of these people are parents of some of the children whose school was visited by Enju in her Gastrea form and suffered psychological damage at the sight of her. That as well as one family member of Hoshi Yoshizumi, one of the two victims who tragically lost their lives while performing their duty working at Hanakawa Hospital as part of the emergency response team and drivers of the vehicle who sadly got attacked by Enju. In this latter accusation, you are charged with manslaughter due to negligence!" the man continued to look Satomi in the eye, who was standing up while being spoken to. "Do you still wish to continue this trial without a lawyer?" he asked, a little bit astonished. He knew the offender of these charges was only sixteen years old, which made him particularly young and very inexperienced when it came to courts and trials, so he wanted to ensure that Rentarō was ready to continue down this path, even though it seemed foolish.

Rentarō: "Yes, this is what I want!" he clarified, letting the judge know that this was indeed the course that they were going to take.

The judge stood there, thinking to himself, not yet sure how to approach this clearly foolish man.

Truthfully, it wasn't like Rentarō saw no purpose in a lawyer by his side. He, in fact, deemed such a thing a very useful strategy to employ, if he could that was. His only issue was money, which he lacked greatly. Hiring a lawyer was beyond his budget and not even Kisara, who was technically the head of their company, could afford one. This left them awfully vulnerable.

Judge: " _(sighes)_ Very well. Let us continue then!" he then continued to examine the papers in front of him, rapidly scanning through the texts and memorizing as well as processing the information written on them. "According to testimonies from two other people who were eyewitnesses at the sight, namely Yuzuki and Tamaki Katagiri, you acted recklessly during Enju Aihara's transformation into a Gastrea, despite being made aware of the clear signs that such metamorphoses have, correct? You were fully aware that Enju was undergoing transformation before she even fully became that spider, right?", the boy nodded.

Rentarō: "Yes, I was aware of what she was going through" he admitted while suddenly staring into the ground, feeling the eyes of all the people there at the court looking with scorn at him.

Judge: "And despite having knowledge of such a fact, according to the testimonies, you failed to act according to your duty and withheld from neutralizing Enju before she became a threat to the lives of everyone there, even though your obligations as a Promoter clearly state you shouldn't have done so. Can you confirm this?" again, the man nodded, mostly in embarrassment rather than resentment or regret.

Rentarō: "Yes, that is also true!" the members of the affected families, who were standing at a different table, were glaring at the boy from a distance, something which he was fully aware of.

Judge: "…..very well. And, lastly, again, according to the aforementioned reports, you remained inactive in the middle of your post, ignoring the fact that your colleagues' lives were in danger because of the newly formed Gastrea, a Gastrea that came into existence due to your inactivity even, and forced them to fight and fend for themselves for a couple of minutes while you stared from a distance. You only decided to take action after you noticed the spider beginning to chase after another potential victim. Do you not deny these statements?" everything that the older man was saying felt like it was burning through Rentarō's soul as the boy stood there, with his head low, feeling like his dignity was being torn to shreds.

Rentarō: "No, I don't deny any of that!" he glanced sideways for a second, noticing Kisara's concerned look at him, the worry in her eyes making him feel even worse. He hated whenever people looked at him like that. It felt very depressing and demeaning at the same time.

Judge: "Duly noted. _This is going to be_ _the quickest_ _trial tha_ _t_ _I've ever had_ " the judge thought to himself, almost bemused at the amounts of masochism and lack of self defense that this young man was displaying, even when he was clearly under attack. To some extent, he could even say that he pitied this poor soul.

Judge: "Tell me, Rentarō-san, what exactly was going through your mind when all of these events transpired? What compelled you to act in such a negligent way that allowed for the Gastrea to not only fully form, but also attack and kill innocent victims and also escape afterwards? Were you not properly instructed at your workplace on the proper ways Promoters are expected to deal with these types of situations?" at this point, the judge pretty much gave up on him and didn't expect for the boy to try to take advantage of this last life-saving opportunity even. He was even going out of his way to help the boy by at least give him the chance to shift some of the blame to the company employing him as that would at least cushion his fall and lessen his punishment.

Rentarō: "I was given proper training in my years when applying for the Promoter license, as well as being told exactly how to act and what to do by the book. The issue wasn't in my training, nor was my employer of any faults" much as he had expected, the boy refused to be saved. Rentarō had no incentive to shift the blame on either the IISO for qualifying and licensing him as a Promoter, nor on Kisara for employing him in her company. He was deeply thankful to both of them and, consequently, he wanted to take all the blame for his actions, mostly because, he was indeed the only one to blame even from his own eyes. He took another glance at Kisara, who was yet again, very worriedly staring at him, also throwing daggers from her eyes almost, mentally scolding him for not imparting some of the guilt with her as she felt that she was just as much at fault in this as he was.

Rentarō: "No. The reality is that, during the moments when Enju was transforming in front of me, I was asking myself when the best moment for me the push the gun against her forehead and pull the trigger was. I knew full well that my window was pretty narrow and that time shouldn't be wasted" he began to explain, trying to regain whatever little grains of confidence were still inside of him. "I knew all of that full well, and yet, to my eyes at least, that moment never truly came. I never saw an opportunity for me good enough to take advantage of. After all, how do you prepare a little girl to accept death in just a minute?" even though he knew full well that those weren't real arguments and they wouldn't even work in a logical debate with a friend, much less in the court of law, he persisted.

Rentarō: "I know this isn't an excuse, nor does this justify anything that happened afterwards, but, even so, I couldn't bring myself to end her life. She looked at me once, pleadingly, almost like asking to be saved while I was not able to do anything to help her. How can any man rob a girl of her life in these circumstances?" his argument, although touching, didn't do him much good. Worse, one of the women in the prosecution side of the court, rose from her seat and began to speak as well.

Woman: "Nonsense!" she suddenly yelled out loud. "You claim to have done it as an act of mercy, and yet this lead to many other children being scarred for life!" despite this unpleasant interruption, the judge allowed her to continue for a little. "My daughter….she couldn't sleep at all since that incident happened. I've taken her to a psychologist, trying to see if there's anything he could do. She would cry every night, after that….that…..THING burned its image into her eyes. She would whimper as, whenever she would close her eyes, that image would appear before her and she would wake back up frantically screaming! How do you justify the psychological damage that she had to go through?! Was your act of mercy all that innocent?!" finally, the judge intervened and began slamming his hammer down repeatedly to attract the attention of everyone in the room.

Judge: "This is Satomi-san's turn to speak! For now, I will ask you to withhold from any more interruptions!" he tried to talk that woman into calming down. Once that happened, he turned his attention onto the boy once again. "Satomi-san, your defense doesn't really hold here! Showing mercy to one person when such a thing results in the death or distress of others is against the law, regardless of the morality stance behind it. After all, the law and morality exist and abide different sets of rules that serve different purposes. While your intentions may have been good and you only desired to do what was the most merciful thing to do given your circumstances, that doesn't change the fact that you discarded all of your obligations that society entrusted you with, refusing to perform a vital duty and endangering in the process the lives of many innocent people. And while 'emotional distress' might be seen as an excuse in many different situations, given your job, it is not a proper defense right now! In such a problematic situation, while I do sympathize with your behavior, I have no other choice but to condemn it nonetheless. Seeing the gravity of your actions, I cannot allow for such an excuse!" he clarified, letting the boy know that his only defense was useless.

Rentarō stood there, not even worried or concerned anymore. He knew he was guilty and that gave him an odd sense of calm and acceptance. He knew the court wouldn't listen to any excuse like that. He wasn't surprised in the least by that. Hell, if he was in that judge's place, he would have said the exact same things.

Justice had to be served, after all, and he was on the wrong side of the law. There was no use in denying that.

He thought about inventing some clever ruse to employ but he quickly decided against it. Even if he had the imagination to come up with such a thing, it would only go against his very own principles.

He had used the only excuse that was truthful, and he didn't intend on doing anything other than that. After all, even he couldn't explain his own behavior back then either. All of his career as a Promoter he had thought that he was ready, at any time, to fulfill his obligations and take Enju's life when the situation asked for it. And yet he failed in doing so when it really did happen. When he himself had questioned the reasons for his lack of response, the only answer that came to his mind was that he couldn't bring himself to do it. That was the only thing which he could answer to himself. Given that, that was also the only thing he was going to answer to the court as well. If his true thoughts were not enough to persuade the judge, then he really was a criminal and was meant to be punished. After all, that's what breaking the law meant, wasn't it?

Rentarō: "There is no other excuse I can think of. Those were my honest thoughts and thinking back then. I have nothing else to say in my defense!" the judge frowned, feeling especially anxious about this whole ordeal. It was undeniable the fact that this case was very straightforward. It was the case of a rather naive youthful individual who failed at performing at his job, a particularly dangerous job that is, and resulting in the deaths of others.

Honestly, there was nothing more to this than that. A lawyer on his side would have probably prolonged this process by trying to find some ways to justify his client's actions but, thankfully, that never happened and this case was really easy to end and put under the wraps.

Rentarō was guilty, that much was clear.

Judge: "Tendō Kisara-san" the judge suddenly addressed the person sitting next to Rentarō. "Do you have anything to add in your employee's defense? Right now, Tendō Civil Security is also being charged with improper etiquette during work and manslaughter. Is there anything you have to say in this case?" in response to that, Kisara rose from her seat as well and began speaking, with a firmer, calmer and more professional manner.

Kisara: "As a matter of fact, I do!" even though Rentarō had literally done everything in his power to confirm all the accusations against himself and her company, she was going to continue fighting. While she didn't plan on doing anything underhanded like lying to the judge, she at least wanted to explain things from her perspective as well and add at least some credibility to Rentarō's actions, even if he himself had no intention in doing so.

Kisara: "While Rentarō did act improperly during his work and made many mistakes during it, that much is irrefutable, I do want to say that, eventually, despite his ineptitude, he came back to his senses and began acting as a Promoter eventually!" she began explaining. "Even you admitted that, according to the witness reports from Yuzuki and Tamaki, he did begin to act and defended the life of a young woman who was also part of the medical team who had been sent there!".

Judge: "Yes, that is indeed true! Nakagami Tomoe, age 27, is among the people who suffered because of Rentarō's negligence! She barely escaped the initial attack of the Gastrea on the vehicle and, according to her own testimony, when the creature followed her and attempted to infect her as well, Satomi-san stopped it and saved her life in the nick of time. And despite her currently undertaking psychological conciliation, she wishes to express her gratitude towards Satomi-san's heroic actions. That is what we have received from her as testimony, anyway" despite everything that had been said before, apparently the judge was still willing to side with Rentarō when the evidence was indeed in his favor.

Judge: "While all of that is indeed true, and documented, the evidence against Satomi-san is still heavier than that in his favor. Tomoe-san even claimed that Satomi-san shot the creature a couple of times in order to kill it, clearly showing remorse for his past actions and trying to make up for them. Still, at the moment, I believe that if he had performed his duty properly and had not waited for an unreasonable amount of time, none of that would have had to happen in the first place!" he still didn't seem all that fazed by her arguments though. "But it is still something I will take into consideration when passing my final judgment!" and with that, the man leaned backwards in his seat, contemplating on what to do. He hated everything severely about that case. He truly felt sorry for the people being accused, particularly since they were so young and their actions were clearly due to their innocence. Still, he had a duty to perform and, ultimately, he could not allow himself to become emotionally invested and biased in any case. Such was his own duty for society, after all. He had to pass proper judgment on everyone involved.

Judge: "Well, due to the fact that, normally, a case like this that involves two entities being charged, specifically Rentarō Satomi, the physical individual, and Tendō Civil Security, the company, by the same people and with identical charges would be dealt with in two separate processes and trials, I will be breaking up this hearing in two separate sessions: the next one will occur at this same time in three days!" suddenly, everyone in the room began speaking to each other at this decision, especially the prosecutors who were furious with it.

Random prosecutor: "There is still plenty of time left for this hearing! There's no need to prolong this more than necessary! After all, there's more than an hour until the next trial will be held in this room! Please, let us finish this!" one of them pleaded to the older man to change his mind although he refused to listen.

Judge: "I have made my decision! Final judgment will be passed then! In the meantime, I'm implementing a ban on both Rentarō Satomi and Kisara Tendō from leaving Tokyo under any circumstances. Moreover, I will be temporarily suspending their license as a Security Service so that they will not be involved in any more Gastrea suppression activities until then!" he tried to appease the crowd, to make it seem at least professional, although with little effect. Ultimately, the prosecutors wanted the man punished, that much was obvious. They were not satisfied with leaving this unfinished, even for a mere couple of days.

Even so, he had made his decision. He personally felt like that trial was too one-sided and neither Rentarō nor Kisara really stood any chance against the prosecution. By allowing them these couple of days, he was effectively allowing them the time to rethink their strategy and actually buy a lawyer for the next hearing. Even if he probably couldn't do much anymore, by that point, it would have been at least some defense.

Judge: "Satomi-san" he began, wanting to express his own recommendation vocally this time. "If I may be so blunt, I highly recommend you do invest in a lawyer. Because, if things continue to go as they are now, you will be needing one!"

~Sumire's laboratory~

Rentarō: "And that's how it went. I can't really say I was that surprised by the outcome but….I was in no way prepared for the amount of dread that I endured there" the boy revealed, while making a really angry face in the process, which amused his partner in conversation.

Sumire: "Huh, well, to be honest I think you managed everything quite well, personally" she stated awfully calm. Sumire was very collected by her very nature, very rarely showing any emotion outside of just her natural bland and happy self, so this wasn't a surprise for Rentarō when she failed to share the same amount of stress that he was under then.

Rentarō: "You think so? I felt like the prosecution was staring at me like a bunch of eagles staring at their prey. Neither one of them felt like they had any remorse or sympathy for me!" the boy complained out loud, still feeling the pressure of the trial lingering on his shoulders.

Sumire: "That's natural. After all, the reason they're there to begin with is to accuse you of wrongdoings. They aren't there because they want to praise your saint-like actions" she went on a different tangent than he had planned for their conversation to take. "Sincerely, I think you did well. Trials are really stressful for a novice and it's very easy for someone to slip under the pressure and say something they don't mean and end up regretting it later. You'd be surprised how good a memory the judges have! They bring up things you said even a couple of trials before and use it against you!" the doctor noted, recalling distant memories which she had very little fondness for.

Rentarō: "You seem awfully experienced with these types of things. Care to share some stories?" despite his better judgment and instincts warning him against it, he asked that question out of curiosity.

Sumire: "Well, what can I say? I lived a very lively life!" the woman smiled devilishly at the young man who grimaced when noticing that. "I've been accused of many things, usually manslaughter, just like you!".

Rentarō: "For whatever reason, that doesn't surprise me…." he said more to himself than to her.

Sumire: "I've been in countless trials in my past. In some of them the odds felt very much against me, but I still pulled through!" she declared victoriously although her enthusiasm felt more cynical than innocent to Rentarō.

Rentarō: "Actually, you do look like the type of women who should be in jail by this age. I'm surprised you're allowed to be free..." despite the obviousness of that remark as being more negative in connotations than positive, Sumire actually interpreted it as a compliment in her own twisted ways.

Sumire: "There's no need for flattery, really! Believe it or not but I'm quite useful for society, and some people are aware of that! I don't know which politician I managed to impress with my genius but I never spent any day in prison! I'm sure some people pulled some strings behind the scenes to make such a thing possible. Either way, though, here I am!" again, the amount of happiness she was displaying was more frightening than charming to him.

Rentarō: " _Knowing you, I'm surprised you weren't accused of actual murder, not just manslaughter!_ " he voiced his concerns internally while staring awkwardly at the scary woman in front of him.

Sumire: "But then again, I am also a bit surprised how they didn't throw you in jail right away. While I will praise you for maintaining your calm and composure during the trial, you barely did anything to defend yourself. Hell, from what you told me, I even think the judge himself was trying to throw you a couple of life lines! It's really sad that Kisara was the one who managed to save your ass. A man depending on a woman for defense is pretty pathetic, you know?" naturally she had to make that remark.

Rentarō: "I said all I believed had to be said. My intentions were innocent and that much came across at least. As for anything else, I'll let the judge decide that!" he tried to do his best in explaining himself.

Sumire: "Rentarō-kun, what do you think a trial is?" she suddenly made a serious face and surprised him with the sudden drop of a comedic edge from her voice.

Rentarō: "What….is that supposed to mean?" he asked taken aback by her.

Sumire: "You seem to be under the false impression that the judges can simply read your mind and acknowledge that you're not guilty just from that. That's not the case!" he didn't exactly know why, but she was branching off way more than regularly into her own branches of topics that day, probably due to the fact that this was a field she had some experience in so she felt confident in talking about things like that, probably. "A trial is just an official way of trying to extract the truth as reliably and accurately as possible, based on evidence and testimony. If you don't talk about what happened and try to expose all you know from your point of view, nobody is going to know what you know and they might make judgments that wouldn't make sense to you. I'm not saying you should lie to the judge or anything, but you should sell yourself and your innocence to the best of your ability. If they won't know the truth, they won't be able to justify any decision in your favor. And besides, that's how life generally works all the time: if you don't know how to sell something, whether it's your innocence or not, then nobody is going to buy it!" the boy sighed in response to how long this topic was dragging thanks to Sumire.

Rentarō: "Yes, I get it! Thank you for the lecture, sensei!" he tried to be as dismissive as possible to coerce her to finally drop this subject.

Sumire: "You're not really taking this as seriously as you should! After all, it was Kisara that convinced the judge to at least acknowledge in front of everyone that you did anything useful at all back there, not you! And even that was a partial lie, even though she doesn't know it!" the boy gulped when remembering that. "Just to be sure though, you haven't told her, have you?" the boy shook his head.

Rentarō: "I haven't. If I told her I'm almost convinced she would fire me on the spot" he contemplated sorrowfully.

Sumire: " _(sighes)_ Well, I guess that's expected given your nature as a coward. Although I should be grateful for that since even I would probably end in jail if anyone besides us found out about it" this conversation was making both of them extremely anxious.

Rentarō: "If the judge knew about it, I'm sure things would have ended up much worse for me. After all, modifying the standard Promoter equipment handed over by the IISO is not only against IISO's own regulations, but is in itself illegal. I could even face the death sentence if it was discovered" he replied frightfully.

Sumire: "Well, there are good reasons for that. The judge actually believed that you tried to kill Enju when you shot at her, which is a good thing for you, obviously!"

Rentarō: "Yeah, despite being a medical professional, that woman who I was saving at the time didn't seem to notice. She was probably in shock and not paying particular attention to the details" he admitted while remembering that scene. "I deliberately shot Enju in non-vital organs to extend her life more than normal. Moreover, the bullets themselves were not normal Black Bullets, but they were modified by you to contain a lower than standard Varanium concentration in their composition" he remembered having made that specific request for such bullets from Sumire in the distant past, just for the occasion of Enju transforming.

Sumire: "I have to admit that when I heard your request to me to create such weakened bullets out of your own arsenal, I thought you finally grew a sense of humor and was just trying to make a shitty joke. I never thought you could ever actually ask for such a thing seriously" she amused herself a little, which displeased the boy even further.

Rentarō: "I've known for quite some time that Enju's erosion rate was already at almost 50%. I knew the day for her transformation was coming up and…..I considered the possibility of trying to fake killing her just so she could run away if I felt that she didn't deserve to die. Although, after all the events that happened, I'm beginning to regret my decision" he began to ponder. "It's because I knew her days were coming to an end that I also began to distance myself from her emotionally. I tried to become as impartial and cold to her as I could, just so I would make things easier for when the time of killing her came. I would be wary of her constantly and whenever I sensed that she might transform, I was with one hand on my gun. In the end….even she sensed it and in her last day, she reprimanded me for turning cold and emotionless towards her. She lost her trust in me just before she died" he regretfully recalled. His confession only made Sumire even more disappointed in him.

Sumire: "Pathetic…." came her own undiluted and raw thoughts out of her mouth. "You really are a pathetic man, you know that?" the boy didn't even know where that one came from so he just stared at her in bewilderment waiting for her to elaborate. "Instead of being honest with her and allowing her to consciously spend her last days the way she wanted to, you kept quiet about it, hiding her inevitable death from her, waiting for her to expire while you stood in the corner, scared that a little girl might turn into a monster and hurt you. You handled everything arguably in the worst ways possible! Frankly speaking, I can't really say I'm surprised Enju left you while crying, her fiance was a pathetic wimp scared of toddlers!" needless to say her comments weren't particularly helpful nor really welcome from the boy's point of view, who was almost on the verge of breaking because of the stress he had been subjected to during the trial.

Rentarō: "You know….you're not really helping" little did he realize that his dread was only fueling the woman's desire to continue to burn him.

Sumire: "It's not my fault! You're the one who came to me, of all people, for love advice!" for whatever reason, she was enjoying herself way more than she had any right to.

Rentarō: "I DIDN'T COME HERE FOR LOVE ADVICE!" to him, it felt like he was talking to a wall almost. Hell, a wall would have been better since it wouldn't talk back at least. "I came here for advice about trials!" he tried to clarify, bringing back the old subject.

Sumire: "Ah….right. If that's what you want advice for then here's my opinion: given the lack of self defense you exhibited during your trial, I can think of only one way to get out of this mess without going to jail, or worse!" the boy finally began to feel better when hearing that.

Rentarō: "And what's that?" again, despite his instincts warning him against asking the question, he still did it, much to Sumire's internal enjoyment.

Sumire: "Just go home and find the fullest bottle of bleach you have there. If you don't have enough, you can always go to the local store and buy a new bottle. Once that's done, drink as much as you can without vomiting it back out!" she began to take a morbid direction, unsurprisingly. "Do that, and if you won't die from the poisoning and liver and kidney failures afterwards, you can file for mental disability due to cerebral damage that you'll undeniably sustain and ask the court for a lesser punishment. Granted, you'll be spending the majority of your life in an asylum after that, forgotten by all your friends, but when you'll be in that state, that won't be much of a concern for you!" he knew it. He knew he shouldn't have bothered with talking with that woman. If anything, it was counterproductive to talk with her when he was stressed out, since her presence was only an additional source of anxiety.

Rentarō: "How lovely" was all he had to say back to her. He was fed up with everything. He needed to get out of that lab before the doctor's creepiness would rub on him. "I think I'm done, here. Either way, thank you! It was your bullets that saved her life while she was in Gastrea form. If I used actual unaltered Black Bullets, she would have been dead by now. Me and her owe you big time!" he became serious for a second, bowing to the strange woman in respect. She sighed in response.

Sumire: "Tsk, always ruining my fun moments with dull seriousness. It's because of that that you're so unpopular with women, you know" she then turned towards him, gaining as much of a serious face as him once again. "Sadly I can't help you as much as you probably want me to. This is a very special situation and the missing details is what's causing me to worry…." suddenly this conversation began to turn into a different direction.

Rentarō: "What do you mean?"

Sumire: "Rentarō-kun, didn't you realize until now that something strange happened to Enju when she turned into a Gastrea? Did such a thought never cross your mind?" she began to explain, finally imparting some real actually useful information with the boy.

Rentarō: "Not particularly. Why?" obviously he didn't get it, which prompted Sumire to sigh again.

Sumire: "Both pathetic and dense. I weep at your future, young man" she derided.

Rentarō: "Just spit it out already!" he was losing his patience with her.

Sumire: "Tell me, what determines the creature a Cursed Child turns into when their erosion rate reaches 50%?" the boy thought about it for a while before remembering the answer.

Rentarō: "The strain of the Gastrea virus they're infected with" he responded confidently. "While all forms of the virus have the same shape and protein coatings, their internal genetic material varies from strain to strain. All the different strains recorded until now borrow from the evolutionary advantages gained from other actual animal species on Earth and they give these advantages to the Gastrea they produce when infecting a human victim. The Cursed Children, who are both infected with the virus but are also still in some control of their original human form, can use these advantages in combat, despite not having turned into a Gastrea yet. It's because of that that they are used in fighting against the actual monsters" he reproduced what he had learned many years in the past during his Promoter training.

Sumire: "Yes, that is correct! There are different strains of the virus that determine the properties and superhuman abilities of those infected with them. And tell me, how do you know an Initiator's virus strain?" the boy still didn't figure out where the woman was knocking at so he still continued to follow her questions.

Rentarō: "By her model, of course! And Enju was a Model Rabbit, which meant that…...she…..should have turned into….." and when trailing off, he finally noticed it: the clue that Sumire was hinting at.

Sumire: "Finally figured it out, haven't you, smart guy?" she teased while the boy finally made a huge realization.

Rentarō: "Enju has always been a Model Rabbit, which meant that she should have turned into a giant rabbit monster when she transformed. Hell, her abilities were always concentrated in her legs which confirmed that" he stared off into nothingness when remembering everything.

Sumire: "Yes, and yet she didn't! She turned into a giant spider, instead!" that point, while seemingly small, became incredibly relevant all of a sudden as the boy began to process all of this information on his own.

Rentarō: "When she fought the original infection that happened during Valentine's Day, a Stage II Gastrea appeared at the end and attacked Enju. She made a mistake when fighting it and the creature assaulted her and injected her with its own virus. It was that event that pushed her erosion rate beyond 50%!" finally, things were starting to become clearer and clearer to him.

Sumire: "Yes! The point is that she turned into a monster that was not what her original strain was genetically designated for. To my knowledge, at least, such a thing has never happened before, so what we saw just then is probably the greatest discovery in Gastrea science since the emergence of the disease itself!" that was a pretty big thing to say, although, knowing her, she wasn't far off base.

The boy gulped, not even sure how to take all of this new stuff in. He was both frightened but also curious as to what Sumire had realized to actually call this 'the greatest discovery in Gastrea science'.

Rentarō: "What do you mean? What does all of this mean?" he became overly curious all of a sudden, his voice picking up and all of his earlier anxiety completely gone all of a sudden, which pleased the woman. She loved it when people would become like that whenever she had to say something intelligent. It made her life still feel like it was worth something, even though Rentarō was the only one who that still applied to.

Sumire: "To be entirely honest, I'm not exactly sure myself. Like I said, there are way too many variables at play here, which makes this a very difficult thing to accurately predict for. But, considering how Enju was later spotted on her school grounds in a reverted, semi-human state, which means that her transformation somehow became partially undone since the point she ran away from you, I hypothesize that her infection with the new virus subsided!" this came as a shock for the boy, who was still having trouble even believing everything that had happened so far.

Rentarō: "Subsided? That never happened before in a Gastrea infection, though! When the erosion rate of any human reaches 50%, the virus takes over their body entirely in a metamorphosis!"

Sumire: "Yes, that's when a single strain is being the only actor. However, Enju is a special case since, at the moment of her transformation, her body was infected with two different strains of the virus at the same time, both probably competing to take over the same organism. Nobody knows or even proposed how such a scenario would play out so there's literally no data out there to predict what happens in such situations!" despite the fact that Enju did eventually turn into a monster, this was still fascinating information for the both of them. "Did you not notice anything out of the ordinary when the virus took over her body?" she inquired from the boy who now was trying to think about all the odd things that had happened back then during his final moments with Enju.

Rentarō: "I...remember the Gastrea acting strange just before she ran away from me" he recalled, attracting great interest from the doctor.

Sumire: "Oh? How so?" she obviously tried to ask for more details while the boy was trying to remember almost repressed memories.

Rentarō: "I….remember her Gastrea form trembling a little, almost like she was cold after I managed to get a shot in! It also seemed like it became slower and clumsier in its movements afterwards. I couldn't really explain it, especially since it had moved so fast and precisely up until that point!" he explained, which made the woman realize another vital point that he had missed.

Sumire: "Huh, from what you're telling me, I'm inclined to believe that her acting abnormally was a consequence of you actually shooting her with those modified bullets!" that actually made sense to her. "Think about it! She acted normally throughout the entire fight while you were ignoring her and then finally, when you shot her, her body began to break down! It feels too much of a coincidence to me! The bullets were altered to be less effective at killing Gastrea but they still had enough Varanium in their concentration to repress the viral load in her body, enough to revert her back to her human form by the time she reached her school!" she was trailing off on her own, thinking about more and more explanations to Rentarō's story. "You mentioned her trembling. Did she have a fever before she transformed, by any chance?" to that the boy nodded. "I see. Now it makes sense…." the fact that she was only thinking everything and keeping to herself wasn't making the boy very happy though.

Rentarō: "What? What did you realize?" the silence was killing him.

Sumire: "There was this seminar held at a prestigious university in Berlin by a rather genius man under the name Albrecht Grünewald! The topic was basically around research about the immune response during an infected human's transformation into a Gastrea when their erosion rate exceeds the norm. The general idea was that, during the take over of one's body, his immune system reacts violently trying to stop the infection from modifying his anatomy. Basically, in order to actually transform a body, the virus has to reprogram the cells to synthesize new proteins, convert all excess energy from cellular respiration to biological fuel to change the size and shape of organs, and basically shape-shift the entire body. Having to do this much work, it's very easy for the immune system to go into overdrive and try to interrupt all of these complex processes. Because evolutionarily speaking, it doesn't make sense for the virus to only partially shape-shift an organism and have them barely even able to walk, it is genetically designed to first learn how to suppress this immune response before any actual changes to the body are performed. And, even then, the research done showed that the virus is still particularly vulnerable during this stage and all of the changes it makes are initially only temporary while the body tries to fight the sudden shifts in its basic programming. The study basically hypothesized that the moments when the virus tries to take over a victim's body is when it's most vulnerable to the immune response trying to destroy it, as it's then when it has to do the most work and invest the most energy. Technically speaking, that is the optimal moment to try to contain and cure the infection. It's because of that that just when the majority of humans suffer a Gastrea metamorphosis, their bodies fire up in a severe fever: it's the sign that the immune system is desperately trying to destroy the virus while it is in its most vulnerable state!" all of that medical mumbo-jumbo was all impressive and nice but it still didn't help Rentarō understand where she was going. "Although, this usually never happened before from what I heard. Was there also something you did out of the ordinary before or after she transformed to her?" the boy hesitated a bit when hearing this question. As a matter of fact, there was, although he was scared of admitting this since it could technically be used in court against him as well. But, given how both him and Sumire were now accomplices in crimes, he felt that he might as well be honest with her at that point and let her know of the full truth.

Rentarō: "I injected her with the corrosion anti-catalyst just when her body was being taken over by the virus!" he revealed. It was then when the final piece of the puzzle was brought to Sumire as she made a very sinister smile.

Sumire: "Oh, Rentarō, you know how all the scientists in this world always recommended against people doing such reckless things when a Cursed Child is being taken over, don't you? Scientists always advised against doing stuff like that since it's believed that it's already too late to save a Cursed Child when the transformation begins. Using the anti-corrosion injection during those final moments is considered not only pointless, but damaging since it could invite the development of a strain that's resistant to that medicine. And yet you did it anyways!" she responded amused.

Rentarō: "It was the best thing I could come up with at the moment! I was panicking by that point and did everything that seemed even remotely useful in saving Enju's life, regardless of legality!", despite the boy's own, self-admitted fault and ignorance, this was the last thing that the doctor needed to piece together what had truly happened.

Sumire: "And you mentioned how she was both injured by Tamaki and you soon afterwards, right?" the boy then recalled those memories to confirm.

Rentarō: "Yes, Tamaki cut off one of her hind legs with his Varanium razor blades. While the injury wasn't really fatal, the bits of metal left in her wounds significantly slowed down her leg's regeneration after that! And then I attacked her with my modified bullets! I picked those special bullets since, even then, I didn't feel ready to kill her, although shooting her in any vital organ would have still been enough to kill her. When I shot into her side, her body visibly began to weaken and act strangely. You're right that it was after that that things took a weird turn!" Sumire smiled when hearing that back at him.

Sumire: "That fits pretty well with my hypothesis! When injecting that amount of Varanium into her body, it's very likely that the virus began to stop replicating as fast, which allowed her white cells to gain a momentary advantage. It's in the same way that antibiotics, when used against bacterial infections, are taken in order to allow the immune system to regain some control over the overgrowing infection by killing some of the pathogens to aid it in getting a foothold back. Enju's body was easily taken over by the new strain because her immune cells have already been weakened over all her life by her existing virus residing inside of her. When this new one popped right out of nowhere, the white cells were completely unprepared for it and didn't know how to defend the organism against this new infection. That's why it took her years of suppressing her current disease but it also took only a couple of minutes for this new pathogen to completely take over her body!" the boy was eagerly listening to everything she was saying, registering every little word. "Still, when you repressed it with your bullets, after already being weakened by the antiviral medicine that you injected her with right during her transformation, this finally allowed the virus to be suppressed, just long enough for her body to adapt to it and fight back! Since the virus' changes were still temporary by this point, this suppression basically meant that her own body rewrote itself to its original human form in the process, at least partially. I believe that is why she lost her spider form so much by the time she met her colleagues at school!" Rentarō's eyes were finally lighting up with optimism, almost childish optimism by that point.

Rentarō: "Which basically means that there's a chance that she turned back into her human form!" he finalized Sumire's thoughts. "If her immune system was strong enough to force back this infection, that means she might still be alive somewhere, in her regular body!" this was probably the greatest news he could have ever heard.

Sumire: "Don't get your hopes too high up! Remember: it's just a hypothesis! I have no way of knowing if I'm right with this or not! Even more importantly, you won't be able to use this in court as evidence of doing something good, after all, since Enju was still in a mutated form when she was recorded when she was in the schoolyard. So people will be skeptical of this" she clarified trying to not see him get too worked up, since she didn't want to see the inevitable disappointment he would have to suffer from if she did end up being wrong. "You need better evidence if you want to escape jail, preferably recorded footage of her in her full human form!"

Rentarō: "I don't care much about the court" he suddenly replied while refusing to pay heed to her warning.

Sumire: "What?!" she asked, baffled.

Rentarō: "As I said, I don't care if I have to go to jail anymore. But if I can prove that she turned back to normal, I can at least call off the current efforts of trying to hunt her down and kill her from all the other Promoters and Initiators in this city!" his words didn't make much sense to her, especially since they were in stark contrast to his formerly depressed self, when he had been moping because of how unfair life seemed to him before discussing with her.

Sumire: "You're….a strange man, Rentarō!" was her only remark to that, which the boy discarded instantly. "Then again, there is one thing which might end up helping you and Enju a lot in your current situations!" she continued, regaining his attention.

Rentarō: "What?"

Sumire: "Assuming that my theory is accurate and Enju did manage to eventually fully turn back into her human self, that would be a strong indication that her immune response somehow managed to fight back the virus, most likely by using special antibodies to contain the viral particles in her blood. The human immune system is an adaptive one by nature, which means that it's very weak when encountering new threats, like how little it helped Enju when she was infected with the new virus, but, if it somehow survives the initial attack and gets to regenerate, it quickly builds defenses specific to that type of pathogen. This is what's known as building immunity against a specific disease!" something was oddly happy about her tone of voice, letting the boy know that whatever it was that she wanted to proceed with, she was going to convey some good news to him. Either that or make fun of him again, whichever was more likely.

Sumire: "If Enju managed to fight off the disease, it's very likely that her immune system built antibodies that can actually kill the virus from her system! Which pretty much makes her the very first living being to heal herself from the virus! And hell, even if her healing might be only temporary and she will eventually turn back into a Gastrea, studying her body and her blood now, while she's still human, if she's back to being a human that is, is imperative, as her new antibodies might be the key to developing a vaccine, or maybe even a cure to help all the Cursed Children of the world!" this was indeed something which could be considered ground-breaking. "If this is indeed the case, humanity might gain a very strong weapon in fighting back the Gastrea invasion! If we at least manage to prevent future infections, the creatures currently roaming the Earth will eventually die out due to old age, while we will persevere in our fortresses, patiently waiting them out to expire, if we can at least prevent future infections from happening!" truthfully, this felt like the very first time when Sumire had ever actually sounded optimistic about anything. Since the unfortunate death of her loved one, she had become quite nihilistic and took on a very dark perspective of life. To be able to be this happy, once again, for her at least, felt rejuvenating, even to Rentarō who was merely a witness.

Sumire: "Rentarō-kun, we need to locate Enju to confirm this! Even if I'm completely off-base, it's still worth investigating! We need to find her before she might transform again, probably permanently this time!" the boy nodded in full agreement.

Rentarō: "I was already going to do that, even if you haven't told me all of this! As long as there's even the smallest chance that she reverted back to her human self, I want to find her! I want to help her get through her problems and be there for her! I want….to make up for how I treated her before she….changed" he replied, with more determination in his voice than ever before.

Rentarō: "But, if she really did turn back to her human self, how come she never came back to me? I haven't seen her come back home since that incident happened!" he began wondering out loud, considering many different ideas.

Sumire: "I think it has something to do with the fact that she doesn't want to come back to you!" the boy then looked back at the woman, glaring.

Rentarō: "Even if Enju is a child, she isn't that juvenile! Even if we had a quarrel back at home, she would return to me if things turned out so horribly! I'm one of the people who she trusts the most!" despite his belief, the woman shook her head in disappointment again.

Sumire: "You really don't get it, do you?" came Sumire's exasperated reply. "It's because she cares so much for you that she doesn't want to be near you, after this mess. Honestly, from her point of view, I'm sure you're currently the person she least wants to meet now!" this only made the boy even more confused.

Rentarō: "I don't get it…." he densely lost her train of thought.

Sumire: "Picture this: you're a small child, living a normal life, with your parents, enjoying your youth and doing all the fun stuff that children do! Now, imagine how, one day, you suddenly turn into a monster and eat the head off of one of your best friends before turning back human! Do you want your parents to find you, with blood all over your body? Would you go near them ever again, despite the fact that you might turn back into that monster at any point? How will they react? Will they hurt you? Will they accept you, or push you away, like all your other friends did after seeing you like that? Even if they wouldn't, would you trust yourself to not lose control again and hurt them too? Would you be able to deal with your life if you inadvertently killed them too?" now the boy finally got where she was going. "She cares too much for you to risk your life, one of the only people she ever got to love, just so she could selfishly hug you and cry in your arms! Given her age, I think she's capable already of assessing risk/rewards to realize how such a thing would be detrimental to the safety of the person she loves the most!" Rentarō could only simulate such thoughts, actually realizing that they felt very genuine and in-line with how he imagined Enju usually thinks like. "If I was her age and in the same position, I probably would have done the same!" the boy didn't want to hear that. Everything she was saying felt eerily accurate, almost like she already knew the truth somehow and was simply telling him what was going on with 100% confidence.

It was because of her genius that Rentarō relied on her so much, after all.

Rentarō: "But I…..I want her to rely on me! Doesn't she know that I'm OK with risking my life for her? Haven't I proven that so many times in the past already?!" he said between gritted teeth, acknowledging that Sumire's assessments were probably correct, even though he wanted them so much to not be.

Sumire: "Love is a very nasty thing, especially to naive children! It makes them do many foolish things that are illogical! Hell, I myself realized how foolish I was when I partook in the same feelings back when I was younger. Now, I'm grateful to be as lonely as I am, because, if nothing else, I can at least calmly enjoy watching other stupid people do stupid things from a spectator's perspective!" she sadistically conveyed. "You'd be surprised to see how entertaining it is to watch other people's ignorance at play! It's a magnificent thing, indeed! That's why I enjoy hanging out with you this much, after all!" she smiled lovingly to the teenager, making him want to punch her in the face.

Rentarō: "I hate you…." he really felt like he meant those words this time, feeling the frustration boiling inside him finally reach its maximum pressure.

Sumire: "I love you too, Rentarō-kun!" despite this very awkward and disjointed conversation, the boy now knew what he had to do. He realized the current situation and he was now at the point where planning was to be done. He had to think a strategy and plan his next course of action.

Thankfully, his phone began ringing, cutting him from his thoughts rather quickly. He pulled it out and answered.

Rentarō: "Yes? This is Rentarō Satomi speaking!" he tried to sound as normal and calm as ever, despite having been rubbed the wrong way by Sumire.

 **Random adult: "Yes, Rentarō-san? Good evening! My name is Naoto Takamitsu and I'm the current owner in charge with IISO Initiator training facility number 4 in Tokyo! I'm calling you because we believe your Initiator, namely, Enju Aihara, had broken into our facility last night!" the man on the other side calmly and professionally informed him, although the content of the information still nearly gave the boy a heart attack.**

Rentarō: "NANI?!"

* * *

Author's note: in Japan, serious trials are usually accompanied by juries nowadays, although, due to how much this would have complicated the story of the current chapter, I omitted this minor detail. For lore's sake, it's best to consider that after The Great Gastrea War, Japan reverted to a jury-less justice system where the judge is the sole decision-maker when it comes to trials. I am by no means an expert in either Japanese law nor in medicine, so please excuse any inconsistencies in this story!


	7. Friendly talk

~Initiator training facility~

At the training facility, both of the two teenagers were walking through the corridors, looking around and trying to absorb as much information as they could visually from the surrounding environment, while they were being led down a hallway by an older, military-clothed man, who was trying to maintain a conversation with them.

That place gave Rentarō a particularly nauseating feeling, specifically because he remembered having walked down those halls in the past, just before he received Enju as his partner. The memories of having been there were not particularly pleasant.

He still felt that same dreadful sensation that he had felt two years ago. The memories were now returning to his head as he could recall how unpleasant an atmosphere that place had. He couldn't even imagine how it must have felt for all those children to live there in that toxic environment.

Rentarō: "This brings back memories" he casually stated, bringing the attention of the people around him onto himself.

Kisara: "Pleasant memories?" the girl next to him inquired, realizing how he must have referred to the time when he had come there to pick up his new Initiator.

Rentarō: "Not really" he nonchalantly revealed, despite their company. The older man glanced back at him with a small smile on his face once he heard that, almost amused.

Naoto: "Didn't enjoy meeting your companion here, Satomi-san?" for whatever reason, his entertained voice felt very off-putting for the boy, who simply remained confused and bit bewildered at his unexpected reaction.

Rentarō: "No, I can't say I enjoyed it" the boy, not feeling very comfortable talking about that subject, tried to end this topic as quickly as he could. The man did not cease, though, and insisted.

Naoto: "Was it our little establishment that made you feel uncomfortable? Or was your meeting with your Initiator the reason you didn't enjoy your little visit to us?" again, the boy felt unnaturally wary when discussing this with the man, seeing how he was a very high ranking official working there.

Rentarō: "Both" and once again the teenage boy tried to kill this conversation as early as possible since he didn't feel comfortable elaborating. Taking the hint, the man let go, but not without making one final remark.

Naoto: "Huh, if I ever had a nickle for every time I heard that from a Promoter who comes here…." even Kisara felt a very unpleasant feeling in her stomach when hearing that. As she never had to go through the official route to become a Promoter, she never had the opportunity to understand what Rentarō had gone through when he first visited that place. Even so, she didn't feel like questioning him, since clearly the boy didn't seem like he enjoyed the subject a lot.

Kisara: "So, what you're saying is that you believe Enju Aihara somehow infiltrated your facility yesterday?" instead, she chose a different, more relevant topic to discuss at that point.

The man then proceeded to provide details pertaining to the subject at hand.

Naoto: "Yes, we have reason to believe that she broke into our facility yesterday in order to enter our computers and database to gain access to specific pieces of information" this confused the two teenagers there.

Rentarō: "How did you know it was Enju? Did she….uh….look normal enough for you guys to recognize her?" he asked, remembering full well how Enju's appearance had changed a lot in the past couple of days. He didn't really want to fully say that she looked like a monster though.

Naoto: "We have video footage of her breaking into this place. While she seemed to have lost her hair and her skin was unnaturally pale, we did identify her quite quickly. Though that was mostly because we were also listening to a news broadcast in the background while we were searching for information and we saw a report there about an Initiator having transformed into a Gastrea and escaping. It was then when we put the pieces together!" this immediately caused both the boy and girl to stop fully in their tracks, astonished and in pure shock at this revelation. None of them said anything for a good ten seconds, only staring at the man like he had spouted something truly outrageous.

Rentarō: "She…..was human?!" was the boy's natural overreaction to this. He couldn't believe his ears and despite the man's attire and profession, he still mentally questioned the legitimacy of his claim. "Are you certain of this?!" even though Sumire had theorized that such a thing was indeed possible only mere hours before, he still found it an incredible finding.

Naoto: "If you don't believe me, you can just check the footage for yourselves. Truthfully though, your shock is just as understandable. We were all just as skeptical as you guys are now before we called you" and with that the discussion then proceeded naturally for the most part until they reached a room that had a computer in it.

In there, another couple of men were working on it, reviewing the same aforementioned footage. After the regular military greetings, the older man then invited the two Promoters to look at the screen and see for themselves the evidence.

And, needless to say, even they were left very surprised by what they were seeing.

Kisara: "What….the hell?" she didn't have any specific words to say in those circumstances. That was the best vocal compression of the feelings she was having then.

Rentarō: "So….Sumire-sensei was right after all" he casually noted, not realizing that he suddenly dropped a bomb on everyone there when they heard that.

Kisara: "What? What do you mean by that?! You knew about this?!" it was when she reacted in that way that the boy realized what he had done, although there was really no point in hiding that information from her anyway. He hadn't told her about his and Sumire's discussion and their theory since he didn't want to get her hopes up, especially since they both considered such a hypothesis outrageously improbable. But now, now that proof was right in front of his eyes, the boy now had to reconsider the plausibility of that consideration. Maybe….just maybe…..it was now feasible to regard this as a possible and maybe even likely outcome.

Rentarō: "I talked with Sumire-sensei just before arriving here today. She came up with this theory that Enju somehow reverted back to her human self due to….some circumstances. She used the footage of Enju's semi-reverted state that we had received from the principal at her school as evidence for that. I didn't bother telling you about this since neither me nor her felt like any of that was really credible and we didn't really have solid proof. I guess that now we do have proof, though" this brought up the girl's spirits a lot. Her eyes lit up almost immediately when receiving this information as all the depression she had felt this recent period was suddenly replaced with hopeful optimism.

Kisara: "AND YOU DIDN'T CONSIDER AT LEAST INFORMING ME OF THE POSSIBILITY?! DON'T YOU THINK THAT'S A BIT UNFAIR?! AND WHAT CIRCUMSTANCES ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT, ANYWAY?! Is there something you didn't reveal to the court, Rentarō?" naturally she was amazed and a bit angry at the man. There was no way she couldn't be since she felt that she had been left out until that point from a very important talk that, she believed, she was entitled to.

Rentarō: "It's…..complicated. We'll talk more when we get back to your office!" he knew he was going to receive some scolding on the way there once they would be finished with their talk with the general, but he didn't mind that much. After all, now he had actual evidence in support of his and Sumire's theory. This meant that there was a small chance that maybe, just maybe, the girl was still alive somewhere. That little glimmer of hope was all he needed.

Naoto: "Actually, Satomi-san, I would prefer it if you talked about this right here, right now. Since, from my many years in service, I have never heard of such a thing as a Gastrea reverting back to its original human form up until now. I'm pretty sure this theory would be especially interesting to many people. If not to us working for the IISO and military, then at least to many scientists working on a cure for the virus. You owe humanity at least some explanations!" the boy gulped when hearing that. Then again, it wasn't like it was anything bad or incriminating against him so he didn't feel like he had any real reason not to comply.

Rentarō: "It's a bit sketchy, to say the least. But we have reason to believe that Enju somehow acquired immunity against the Gastrea virus during her transformation. This immunity is what allowed her to turn back, at least for some time" obviously this came like a huge revelation for everyone there. There was no way they were going to overlook such a thing. "To be entirely honest, I didn't know if this was going to be true, especially after sensei herself stated how she didn't believe that there was enough credible evidence to be used in court, not to mention enough to call back the hunt going on in the city to track down and dispose of Enju. But I guess this recorded footage should be enough now. This should be enough to convince everyone that she's normal again. If nothing else, that means that they won't try to kill her on sight anymore!" he cheerfully realized.

Kisara: "Not only that but if you contributed to this, you could maybe even use this at your next hearing in the courtroom to get out of this legal mess! If people will hear that you actually helped with the creation of a Gastrea vaccine, or at least a possible starting point for a vaccine, I'm sure the judge and many more will be able to forgive you for your crimes" that felt very much like wishful thinking but, then again, the boy didn't feel that invested about that anymore.

Rentarō: "I don't care about that. I just need to find Enju first. Whatever comes after that is secondary right now!" for whatever reason Kisara wasn't surprised that he had said that. He now felt like he had the energy and reason to pursue his search for Enju. Even if things were to turn out to be not so bright after all, he felt like it was his duty now to follow this lead to the best of his abilities. "More importantly, though, I'll try to answer as many questions as I can when all of this is over. For now, though, I need to focus on locating her!" obviously that was not going to be as easy as that. He still had almost no clues as to her whereabouts. "Do you have any idea where she could have ran off to?" he questioned the man in front of them, who simply shook his head in response.

Naoto: "To be clear, I was hoping you could provide us with that information. We obviously want to find her and make her pay for the infraction of breaking in here and possibly contributing to the killing a couple of soldiers. If we had any clue about where she was, we wouldn't have called you here in the first place!" immediately when hearing that, both of their hairs rose up. That didn't sound like good news to them.

Kisara: "You mean to tell us that Enju actually killed soldiers working here? Are you certain of this?" that didn't sound like something Enju would do, at least not willingly, to her.

Naoto: "We still aren't sure of that yet. It's more likely that another Cursed Child which lived here until yesterday, namely Mizuki Natsumushi, was the one responsible for that, although we cannot say for certain since the cameras were off when the killings took place, due to a power outage that was caused by her. We also believe that she escaped with Enju's aid. More footage seems to confirm this" Rentarō gulped when hearing that.

Rentarō: "This Mizuki was also an Initiator?" the boy asked, obviously concerned about Enju's safety.

Naoto: "She was disqualified from participating in the Initiator Program due to bad behavior multiple times in the past. She wasn't really cooperative by nature and was very unstable, reason why we never felt comfortable to release her into the public, despite her formidable abilities. It's very likely that she saw Enju's intrusion as an opportunity for her to escape and took it without any second thoughts"

Rentarō: " _She was too unstable and yet an Initiator who attacks her own Promoter at their first meeting was acceptable, to you people?_ " he mentally asked sarcastically, feeling very disheartened.

The operators then switched to a different application on the computer, revealing Mizuki's profile, including a picture of her to everyone there.

Kisara: "Do you think she threatened Enju and forced her to help?" came another concerned voice.

Naoto: "Not really. From the available footage at our disposition, we concluded that the two cooperated well with each other. Neither of them felt hostile to the other. It's very probable that Enju's safe" that was a calming revelation. Despite their concerns, the two teenagers breathed out a sigh of relief when hearing that.

Rentarō: "That's good to hear. But we don't have much time! We should try to see if we can figure out where they went!" he tried to bring the discussion onto the correct focus again. "What exactly did Enju do here? You mentioned that she tried to access your database? What for?" he continued to question.

Naoto: "Well, from what we saw, we believe Enju accessed her own profile from our database. From what we can tell, that's the only thing she bothered looking at. We're not exactly sure what information about herself she wanted to know. We don't know what intentions she has" this proved very problematic.

Kisara: "Her own profile? What information could she have wanted to access? And why?" the girl only vocalized exactly what Rentarō was already wondering to himself. "Do you have any idea what she's probably doing right now, Rentarō?" sadly, the boy couldn't really help much since he was just as clueless as she was.

Rentarō: "I have no idea what Enju is doing" came his honest answer.

~Random apartment complex in Tokyo~

Mirai finally arrived at her destination. She felt very tired, especially after having traveled that far into the city. She never felt comfortable walking around deep into that metropolis, particularly because of the hostility she had always felt from the people living there towards Cursed Children. She was always very wary of anyone giving her strange looks and she avoided dark alleys as much as possible.

Now, she was there in front of the door to the apartment that she had meant to visit. Summoning the courage inside herself to do what she intended to do, she knocked on the door lightly and timidly.

She then waited for a couple of seconds to see if anyone would respond. After waiting there for an entire minute, she threw a worried glance to her companion, who simply rose his shoulders, signaling her that he didn't know what to do either.

Acknowledging this, the girl then knocked on the door once again, this time with a little more force. Again, almost no response came from the other side, although, for just a few seconds, some almost imperceptible sounds could be heard from within the apartment, the creaking sounds of old wooden floors when someone applied too much pressure in the wrong spots.

This meant that someone was home and they simply didn't want to answer the door. Obviously this annoyed the girl a lot.

Angered, she began knocking again, this time with a lot of determination, hitting the wooden door so hardly, you would believe she tried to annoy the owners this time with how loud it was.

Finally, one of the people on the other side, realizing he had given himself away because of the creaking floor, gave up and decided to answer the pesky visitor. He approached the entrance to his house slowly, placing his right eye against the peephole to see who it was that decided to disturb his normally peaceful life.

He saw no one on the other end, mainly because the girl outside was so short that she was not visible through it. Annoyed, the man then finally pulled the door open to see if he had been the victim of a less than pleasant prank or not.

Upon opening it, he was immediately greeted with the image of a child standing in front of him with an impatient expression on her face, indicating how furious she was because of how long it took him to have answered her.

The girl was clearly small, about ten years old to him, and also wearing very cheap clothing. When noticing this, he quickly glanced at her eyes, to confirm their bright red color. She was indeed a Cursed Child and, judging from her attire, most likely one of those that wandered around the city begging for money. Needless to say he wasn't particularly happy to see that.

Mirai: "Good evening, sir. I'm here to-…." but she was rudely interrupted before she could say another word.

Man: "Don't bother! I have no money for you! Now please leave! I don't wanna see your face here again!" he then tried closing the door quite nonchalantly in her face to cut that discussion short. The girl quickly slammed her hands against the door before he could fully close it, in an attempt to stop him from exiting their conversation.

Mirai: "I'm not here to beg! I just want to talk to you about someone!" she exclaimed quickly. The man was very displeased at her action, feeling even more annoyed than before with her. Clearly this young woman wasn't going to leave him alone very easily. She was very persistent.

Man: "Talk to me? I don't even know you! Why should I help you with anything?" he still maintained an aggressive stance towards her, hoping that if he were to shun her, maybe she would eventually relent and let him leave. He could also force the door closed but he didn't want to end up in a muscle match against her. Even if she was a child and seemed to have a very fragile constitution, she still was undoubtedly a Cursed Child. He didn't want to force her to start using her inhuman powers against him.

Seeing his lack of cooperation, the older man hiding from view and close to Mirai decided to finally intervene, since he didn't see this going in the direction he had wished it would go.

Matsuzaki: "Pardon for the intrusion, dear sir! We are not here to take too much time away from you! We are just some people who are trying to help out someone in need by asking others for information! I know this might be very unpleasant for you but, please, can you spare us a moment?" this came as a complete surprise.

In Tokyo, Cursed Children are usually avoided like the plague because they almost always invite misfortune and violence, mainly because of the discrimination against them by society.

Seeing this old man assisting one felt very unnatural to the one whose apartment had been disturbed. Why would he try to help her? Doesn't he know any better than to affiliate himself with such a burden?

After Matsuzaki butting into the conversation, the other man seemed to calm down a bit and let go of his dismissive demeanor towards the girl. He stopped pushing the door in an attempt to close it and pulled it a bit more to open it further to take in a better view of this other guest as well.

Man: " _(frowning)_ What is it that you guys want?" still being awfully suspicious of the duo, he didn't budge from the door, nor did he invite them in. He simply stood there, sternly looking at them and scanning them for anything unusual. He was going to allow Matsuzaki to talk but only that. He wasn't going to trust them just yet.

Matsuzaki: "We want information about a man named Gotō Aihara. We believe he lives at this address. His….daughter wants to see him" he got to the point very quickly, not wanting to waste the man's patience any further.

However, the person who they were questioning simply raised his eyebrow when hearing that name, indicating how clueless he was.

Man: "Gotō Aihara? I don't know anyone by that name! Are you sure this is the correct address?" this was something neither of them wanted to hear. Could it be that Enju's information was actually wrong? Maybe the IISO database had been tampered with, or maybe it had never been correct to begin with.

The two looked at each other, clear worry in their eyes. This was the only lead that they and Enju had. If this was a dead end, they wouldn't know where to go from there.

Matsuzaki: "We are pretty sure this is the correct address, yes. I don't really have a picture of him or anything. All we know is that he has a daughter. That's the most we know" sadly that didn't help the man much. He began scanning through his memory, trying to think of anyone he could remember having that name but nothing came up to him.

Man: "That's not really helpful. I know many people who are parents! But I don't know anyone with the name Aihara. You probably got the wrong apartment!" that wasn't the case. Matsuzaki had double checked the address with Enju before they left, as well as when they arrived. He was 100% sure he was not mistaken. That was the correct apartment. Which meant that either this man was lying or the address Enju had given them was bogus.

Matsuzaki: "I'm sorry but I can't help you!" he stated. He truly believed he had helped them to the best of his abilities.

When seeing that Matsuzaki had given up on hope and seemed to resign himself to this, he wished them a good evening and began closing the door again. He had already given them more of his time than he should have.

But, just when he was about to fully shut it, a foot came between the door and its frame, preventing him from closing it again. It was the same person who stopped him as before.

Mirai: "Please, his daughter is really worried! She might die any moment now! Please….help us!" for whatever reason, the girl began acting very emotional. She really did consider Enju to be her friend and, as such, she wanted to help her friend out in her time of need.

The man glared at her for doing this. He felt more than annoyed now. He was on the verge of literally slamming the door against her foot and have her pull it back by herself if she continued like that.

Still, when looking directly in her eyes again, those desperate pitiful and cursed eyes of hers, he finally could find some sympathy in his soul for her. She had bags under her eyes, indicating a lack of sleep, probably because of the lack of proper conditions that she was living under. Her face was pale and her cheekbones were almost visible, probably from malnutrition. She looked very anxious, almost desperate.

Seeing a little girl like that, even if he considered her a monster in disguise, made him feel a primordial sense of pity for her. He didn't want to help someone like her since he personally hated Cursed Children, but he could still find in himself the humanity to acknowledge her misfortune and feel bad for her.

His heart aching, he conceded and opened the door again to them.

Man: "Forgive me, please! I don't want to be rude! But I simply cannot help you! I really don't know anyone by that name! And I've been living at this address since I moved in here with my wife seven years ago and I have never once heard of that name! Not even a neighbor uttering it" he tried to appear as convincing to them as possible. He really knew no one called Aihara.

Matsuzaki: "Seven years ago, you say?" suddenly an idea popped up in Matsuzaki's head. "And who was the owner of this apartment back then?" he inquired out of the blue.

The man froze for a moment then, realizing what Matsuzaki must have hypothesized.

Man: "I can't remember his name….but I'm pretty sure it wasn't Aihara. That name doesn't ring any bell for me" he revealed. "Either way, he was a lonely man. I don't think he was married since he lived by himself here. He was, I think, in his very early thirties. Late twenties, early thirties or somewhere along those lines. He….didn't seem like the social type, nor was he particularly friendly to us when we first met him. He had the bare minimum of professionalism to sell us this apartment" since this was the only lead they had at that point, Matsuzaki decided to follow it and see where it would take him. Given the age range of the person this man was talking about, it at the very least felt plausible for him to be Enju's father.

Man: "Me and my wife wanted to move deeper into Tokyo after we married, particularly because of the Gastrea roaming outside the city. We wanted to buy our own house instead of renting a place but we didn't have enough money to get exactly what we wanted. We wanted something bigger than a one-room apartment since we considered starting a family. But that was just too expensive for us! And then…..he came along and made us an offer!" both Mirai and Matsuzaki were closely following the story, trying to pay attention to the details as well. "This apartment that he was offering at the time was a mess, much like him. It didn't seem like he liked cleaning. But it had three bedrooms and it was close to the center of Tokyo, away from any monsters, and he was also offering it at an incredibly low price, cheap enough even for us to afford it. He offered us this deal in exchange for us giving him the ownership of my grandfather's property" that sounded like a particularly useful piece of information.

Man: "Before that, I tried selling that place myself after my grandfather died but nobody would buy it because it was outside the city, barely under the influence of the Monoliths. The house was small and about sixty kilometers away to the west of here, in the Kanagawa Prefecture, at the foot of Mount Jinba. That entire area had also been mostly abandoned because of how far away from the city it was since the end of the Great Gastrea War so I don't know what he could have used it for. He told me he was going to move there once we buy his apartment, but I kinda doubt that. You could even hear strange noises from the forest in the background from my grandfather's house, probably because of the Gastrea living in that wilderness. Nobody in all their right mind would ever move there, or so I thought anyway. I wasn't going to question his motives if he was willing to sell us his place so cheaply in exchange for it so I just accepted the deal without questioning him. Once we signed the buy/sell contracts and I handed him the keys to the place, he disappeared and we never heard from him again. I just assumed he really was crazy and actually moved there" that didn't bode well for them. That was a little too much detail but it did give Matsuzaki and Mirai sufficient information to continue pursuing this lead.

In fact, this was more than enough to continue on searching for that strange man. Even if it was a false lead, it was an interesting one.

Matsuzaki: "Can you give us the exact location on a map, please? That would be quite helpful for us!" despite the man's previous comments about the place, it seemed like these people were also suicidal enough to go there. The young man simply stood there, dumbfounded, not really sure what to say to that since he had never thought anyone would pursue that insane bastard. Clearly he had been wrong though.

~Tendō Civil Security office~

Rentarō: "Huh…..I wasn't really expecting this" the boy remarked in contempt. To some extent, he wasn't displeased with this evolution that much but it was a very awkward encounter to say the least. Even Kisara, standing right beside him could agree.

Tamaki: "Yo" came the very casual greeting from the blond man sitting in a chair in the office. In a seat next to him was Yuzuki as well, patiently sitting there and not even bothering to welcome their new guests. Rentarō and Kisara had barely just returned to their office from the Initiator training facility, only to find those two there waiting for them.

Kisara: "I…..never thought you two even knew about this place" the girl commented with a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

Tamaki: "Well, it's not like the offices of Security services aren't public information. We just had to look it up on the internet and it was very easy to find your office. Although I do admit I was a bit surprised when I found the door unlocked when both of you were gone. That's pretty careless, you know!" Kisara rolled her eyes at that remark. To some extent, Rentarō agreed with Tamaki on that one, even if he wouldn't admit it. Kisara was usually reckless when it came to those sorts of things.

Kisara: "Why are you here? Just to make our lives even harder on us?" she tried to divert the conversation into a more focused and relevant topic.

Tamaki: "Hey, don't be so cold! It wasn't like we had any choice in the matter: when police compel you to testify, you have to testify and report everything you know! I really have nothing against you or Rentarō but neither me, nor Yuzuki are willing to risk going to jail by making stuff up during a trial to make Rentarō look innocent. At the end of the day, we revealed only the truth and while we did try to pretty things up as much as we could, there was only so much we could distort the facts without ending up lying!" they were right, even Rentarō knew that. There was no way he could have asked them to lie about what had happened back then. After all, even he had to admit that he had acted unprofessionally and recklessly. If anything, he would have felt insulted if he had been helped in those underhanded ways.

Rentarō: "It's alright! I can't blame you! My faults are my own and I need to pay for them! When all's said and done, I am the one who was responsible for all that happened back then" he admitted while lowing his head in embarrassment.

Yuzuki: "Damn straight you are!" suddenly the small child in the room began speaking as well, hijacking this conversation. "Honestly, if I were the judge I would have sentenced you to life imprisonment for what you did!" naturally, that statement came as a rather jarring surprise to both Rentarō and Kisara.

Kisara: "Hey now, don't you think you're being a little bit too cruel to Rentarō? He only did what he thought was the right thing to do at that time!" as her employer, Kisara felt like she had the obligation of defending the man, especially since he seemed so awful at defending himself.

Yuzuki: "Yeah…..and in the process two innocent victims died and a new Gastrea is hiding somewhere in this city, waiting to infect unsuspecting victims! I'm sure Enju would have loved to hear what happened to her corpse if she was still alive, right now" the sarcasm she was using was so sharp, it could have cut through glass if it had physical form.

Kisara: "That might not be necessarily the case anymore! We think that Enju might still be alive, somewhere! It's possible that her body reverted back to its human shape!" she tried to use whatever excuse she could come up with on the spot, although that didn't work.

Yuzuki: "Even if that's true, that's not the problem here!" she denied all of those counterarguments instantly. "The point is that he acted irresponsibly back then! It wasn't just because he was tired or just shocked! It was because he never had the intention of killing her to begin with!" she hit the nail pointblank on its head. Kisara wanted to refute that claim but when she took a look at her partner, she saw his determined and serious look on his face, something which prompted her to stop and allow him to take the spotlight.

Rentarō: "Don't just go assuming what others wanted to do! Believe it or not I wanted to end her life too! I really wanted to do it and I was just millimeters away from pulling the trigger and stopping her!" this was a stupid conversation to have, at least from his perspective, since neither him nor Yuzuki had anything to earn from partaking in it. It was just an argument about things that had once happened, and not even a constructive one.

Yuzuki: "Bullshit!" she instantly provoked, with not even a little bit of remorse in her voice. "Don't give me that crap! You couldn't even fight her for a good couple of minutes after she transformed! We had to do all the tough work ourselves! How fucking stupid do you think we are?!" both Tamaki and Kisara looked at each other, worriedly, neither knowing if to step in and prematurely end those other two's argument before it got any worse or just wait it out and have them sort things out for themselves.

Rentarō: "But I did end up fighting her, didn't I? And at the end I was almost prepared to deal the finishing blow!" again, he tried to find whatever means he could at defending himself.

Yuzuki: "Oh really…." she replied unimpressed. "Well, neither me nor my brother were there to see that since all we did catch a glimpse of was you running after it into the distance by yourself. What happened after that we don't really know!" she went a little bit too far with that one, since she was now literally calling the boy a liar. Rentarō felt offended by that, especially since there was testimony from the nurse that he had saved back then that clearly backed up his claims, yet that child was dismissing that without any real reason. That pissed him off.

Rentarō: "Regardless of what you say…..I did what I did" he tried to finish their pointless back and forth since he realized that she wasn't really reasonable, just emotion driven. He felt like there was literally nothing worth gaining in trying to win in an argument with her. "Even if you'll never be able to comprehend it, I did it because I actually cared for Enju! I didn-…." but that was it. That sentence was enough to trigger the girl even more so than before.

Yuzuki: "There you go again with that shitty argument! Who the hell do you think you are for deciding what's better for her when she's literally losing control of her own body?!" he hit a particularly sensitive nerve at that point. The girl was now very furious when she heard him trying to use that same excuse again. Hearing him make that argument felt very unforgivable to her. "Just because you say you love her doesn't mean you do! If you really loved her you would have granted her her wish! Not allow her to turn into a monster and endanger us like that!". Now that things were becoming more heated, Rentarō also began to escalate everything since he was feeling rage build up from within him because of her comments.

Rentarō: "DON'T JUST ASSUME YOU KNOW WHAT'S BETWEEN ME AND ENJU!" he finally snapped, his face reddening because of the blood rushing through his body. "YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT US! YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I WENT THROUGH WHEN I WAS THERE BY HER SIDE, SEEING HER TREMBLING IN FEAR AND CRYING! JUST BECAUSE WHAT I DID WASN'T THE MOST MERCIFUL THING TO DO TO HER, DOESN'T MEAN IT WAS SOMETHING I WANTED TO DO!" he replied with venom in his voice. He glared at the girl, with a lot of hate and bitterness in his glare, so much, in fact, that it was sufficient to prompt Tamaki to finally try to ease things up.

Yuzuki: "WELL, GOOD JOB! I'M SURE SHE REALLY FUCKING APPRECIATES HOW MUCH YOU 'CARE' FOR HER! IN FACT, I'M SURE SHE WOULD HUG YOU AND FILL YOU WITH KISSES RIGHT NOW FOR LETTING HER DIE IN THE MOST PAINFUL WAY POSSIBLE, YOU INSENSITIVE ASSHO-…."

Tamaki: "That's enough, Yuzuki! Stop it!" the boy interrupted the duo, feeling that this was getting out of hand. He had no intention of taking any sides, really, despite being the girl's brother. He just wanted to stop this meaningless bickering between his friends.

The girl, seeing him stop her, immediately assumed he was going to go against her, though, and began arguing with him as well.

Yuzuki: "Why should I?! It's his fault that all of this is happening! Don't you think I'm the one who's in the right here?! If anything, it's him that you should be yelling at!" again, the girl tried to defend herself and make her brother join forces with her in this argument. He would not do so, though.

Tamaki: "Just because he didn't necessarily do the best thing he could have done to Enju doesn't mean he hated her! Us, Promoters, get emotional too, sometimes! And because of that, we may make…..less than optimal decisions" he tried to reason, feeling that his sister had went a bit too far. Even though he agreed, to some extent, with her, he still believed that she had become too emotional at that point. As her older brother, he felt like it was his duty to set her straight. Still, his statement and siding with Rentarō only infuriated her all the more.

Yuzuki: "I don't care! I don't care how weak and sentimental you guys can become over us! What if I turned into a Gastrea, right now in front of you?! Would you also fuck everything up and let me turn into a miserable monster?!" that wasn't even a rhetorical question. She genuinely asked him how he would have reacted if such a situation were indeed to happen right there.

Tamaki opened his mouth to reassure her that he would have done what he had to do, but then stopped before uttering even a syllable, the sentence he wanted to say stopping right in his neck. He couldn't say it. His sister was staring him right in the eyes, with so much rage in her look. She demanded him to be honest with her. That much was obvious.

And it was because of that honesty that she wanted so much out of him that he couldn't immediately reply with a 'No, of course not!' like he usually did. The boy felt unsure of the answer to that and, because of that, he couldn't really give her the answer she wanted to hear.

Seeing him pause for such a long time, before lowering his head and staring at the floor, Yuzuki realized what that meant.

Yuzuki: "I…...hope to die, then, next to someone else. At the very least, I know they will be able to finish the job right!" and with that, she turned around and left the office via the entrance. "I'll be waiting for you outside, onii-chan. Come back to me once you're finished" she then slammed the door shut, without even saying her goodbyes to everyone there, leaving all of the people behind with a sour taste in their mouths.

Rentarō: "What an annoying brat. She can't even control her own temper…." he rudely added to the tense atmosphere in there with even more hatred. This wasn't something Tamaki would let slip, even if he had taken his side, somewhat, in the previous argument.

Tamaki: "She's got all the rights to be angry with you, Rentarō! Even though she has very poor ways of expressing anger, she still has a point!" apparently even without Yuzuki there, the conversation still didn't get that much more peaceful.

Rentarō, still feeling very anxious because of that bickering, simply looked back at him while making a displeased expression before sighing and finally allowing himself to calm down.

Rentarō: "Look, I know! I've said this a million times already! I'm not proud of what happened! Hell, I couldn't sleep properly at all the past two nights because I was constantly thinking about how I messed up. But is it really that hard to at least acknowledge that I only wanted for Enju to be happy? I only did what I did because I didn't want to see her die! Why is that such a bad thing?!" he asked with so much vinegar in his voice that it made everyone in the room look the other way in displeasure. Clearly, this topic of conversation was a controversial one.

Tamaki: " _(sigh)_ I guess your relationship with Enju wasn't as straightforward as mine was with Yuzuki. Then again, I guess this is natural considering how we two are siblings" the blond boy remarked with a bitter smile on his face. Seeing how this conversation didn't seem like it was going to end in the near future, Tamaki then motioned with his left hand towards Kisara's desk, suggesting the both of them to sit down for now. The two, understanding the gesture and concluding the same thing, went for their chairs and sat down as well before allowing the boy to continue.

Tamaki: "Things aren't as simple as you make them out to be, Rentarō. Sometimes showing someone kindness can be even crueler than ignoring them altogether. And that was probably the most important thing that Yuzuki taught me" he revealed to them, making Rentarō raise his eyebrow in disbelief a little.

He wanted to make a comment about how little sense that made to him but he didn't get the chance for that as Tamaki took the liberty of resuming.

Tamaki: "When she was little, Yuzuki had a fascination with spiders. I guess it was probably due to the fact that she knew she was a Model Spider and, consequently, wanted to discover more about them, as well as about herself and her body. She liked to play with them all day long, much to their clear dislike, since they were scared of her. One day, a couple of years ago, Yuzuki found a new spider to entertain herself with. This one was more aggressive than the others, though, and it bit her when she tried to touch it" he remembered sorrowfully yet easily. Those memories were very clear in his mind, mostly because he knew they were of great importance to his sister.

Tamaki: "I don't really know what species that spider was since it ran away quickly after that. But from what I heard, Yuzuki suffered a severe inflammation in the finger she was bitten at, as it swelled up and became burning red. Apparently the finger hurt as hell for her for an entire week after that until it got back to normal. She didn't really need medical attention from what I heard, nor was her life ever in any real danger. As far as the adults around her were concerned, it was just a case of a stupid girl messing around with insects and getting bitten because of her recklessness. Nothing more, nothing less" despite hinting at the fact that he had never been personally involved in any of that, he still narrated those events with clear sadness and pity towards Yuzuki.

Tamaki: "But to her, that was life-changing, believe it or not. Her love of spiders suddenly turned into hatred and disgust since that day. She began fearing them and trying to kill them as soon as she spotted one. She would look out for them under her bed before going to sleep every night, scared that others like the one that had bitten her would pop out while she slept and bite her to death" seeing as how he didn't understand where this plot was leading them, Rentarō got a bit impatient and decided to expedite the process.

Rentarō: "And? What's that got to do with what we were discussing?" that annoyed Tamaki but he did try to get to the point now.

Tamaki: "The important part is that Yuzuki began hating spiders since then. It didn't really evolve into arachnophobia but it was still a deeply ingrained hatred. And, what was the most unfortunate, was that she began hating her own body after that as well. Knowing that she had a virus inside of her that could turn her into a spider at any moment, she began to fear her own body. She would always be wary about her health, almost panicking whenever she felt bad and putting the worst case scenario in front of her whenever she would become sick. She was so scared, at some points, that she asked me to keep watch over her while she slept, in case she would morph into a Gastrea in her sleep while she didn't have the consciousness to warn me about it" it was now when Rentarō and Kisara realized where he was trying to go.

Rentarō: "I….see…." his stomach began to churn instinctively when hearing such things. This type of stuff made him queasy, despite his job.

Tamaki: "She would occasionally end up crying in my arms, begging me to kill her because she didn't want to experience….the event of turning into what she hated the most in the world. At some point, she even stole one of my razor blades, in an attempt to cut herself up just because she was so scared. I was lucky to have caught her just in time" this conversation went in an entirely unpleasant direction. Kisara gulped when hearing this.

Tamaki: "It's very easy for us to tell our Initiators to calm down and think about things rationally. But try to put yourself in their shoes: many girls of their age are scared of monsters in their closets, or are even afraid of the dark when the lights are turned off. And yet they are not only forced to fight these monsters, but they have to face the reality that, at any point in time, they might even become one of them against their will. They can't even trust their own bodies and have to contend with the fact that they will either have to become monsters that attack others, or will be killed as monsters on the spot before doing any harm. And this important decision is handed onto us, the only people they can trust, their Promoters. Of course, given how fragile their situation is, they at least expect us to do the most merciful thing and at least grant them a quick and painless death when that sad time comes. Obviously when she saw how you abandoned Enju and allowed her to turn into a monster, she got angry. From her perspective, you left Enju to suffer while the world and even her own body, turned against her. You, the person who she entrusted her only shred of happiness to, betrayed her" considering how heated the previous discussion between him and Yuzuki was, Tamaki decided to at least share his sister's point of view with Rentarō, to at least make him understand her concern, if nothing else.

The boy then looked onto the floor, now understanding Yuzuki's anger a bit more and admitting that she had been right to be angry with him after all. Despite having called her a 'brat', he now understood that her hatred for him was indeed genuine and even warranted.

Tamaki: "I'm sure she even worried about the prospective of me betraying her too when she saw your lack of resolve to give Enju peace. And that's probably her biggest fear in life at this point: me breaking my promise to her and allowing her to fully turn into a giant spider. Hell, she was so insistent on me killing her when the time would come that she promised me, at one point, that she would do everything in her power to kill me first when she will turn into a Gastrea, to force me to end her life. I don't believe she really meant it but I do know she was terrified about the possibility of her having to endure such a sad fate. And all I could do for her, even as her brother, was only hold her in my arms….whispering empty promises in an attempt to comfort her" now the boy felt even more miserable than before. It felt like Tamaki intentionally tried to twist the knife in his wound when narrating that. He can't really blame him for that. He only wanted to give him a taste of the bitter reality that he so sorely needed. Still, that didn't change the fact that the taste was bitter and unpleasant.

Rentarō: "….tell me, Tamaki" he finally managed to gain back his voice and started to have a discussion with his fellow Promoter again. "Yuzuki is not only your Initiator, but also your little sister. Tell me: when the time will come, will YOU be able to do the right thing for her?" the boy put emphasis on the 'you' part, trying to make a point.

Tamaki smiled at that. But it wasn't a happy smile, nor even a confident smile. It was the smile one would give his dying parent when he realized that, despite the only thing he could do was be there for them, it was the most important thing in the world for the two. It wasn't a happy smile, it was the most depressing smile of them all.

Tamaki: "I always thought I could do it. At no point have I ever doubted myself. And yet now, after your failure, I'm beginning to question myself too. To be honest, I really do love Yuzuki and I want only the best for her. But….love is also a very selfish feeling sometimes. The more attached to her that I become, the less likely it is that I'll be able to accomplish what she wishes from me. And….that thought alone scares me" this was beginning to turn into something truly depressing. Tamaki was usually very cheerful and optimistic when around other people, so seeing him this quiet and broody was only contributing to a particularly heavy and dreary atmosphere.

Both Rentarō and Kisara were just sitting there, with the boy feeling very discontented and annoyed. Not annoyed at Tamaki for pointing out this stuff. If anything, he needed to hear it, even he admitted that. He was annoyed by the desperate reality that they were in, in which they relied on the misery of such young girls in order to even survive. Forcing those unfortunate children into such cruel circumstances, it was really aggravating. And what was even more annoying for him was his failure that compounded on top of all of that.

Tamaki: " _(sigh)_ Speaking of Yuzuki….I better get moving. She'll probably scold me if I'll make her wait any longer. She's probably furious even now, as we speak" he suddenly pulled himself out of his semi-depressed state and rose from his chair. Seeing how disheartened everyone there had become because of him, he thought it was best if he left now. "Either way, Rentarō, I suggest you take the time when you get home tonight to ask yourself if your love for Enju is a good enough reason to warrant depriving her of happiness. I know I don't have the right to ask that question in your specific case, but you do. Hell, it's not even a right, it's an obligation every Promoter has to, eventually, confront. Ideally, they should confront this before the unfortunate day of their Initiator turning arrives, although you obviously are passed that moment. Either way though, it's never too late to repent" and with those final words the boy departed, leaving the two teenagers filled with more grief even than before.

Rentarō: "My obligations as a Promoter, huh?" he sarcastically said to no one in particular while smiling in contempt.

~Cottage at the edge of a forest, Kanagawa Prefecture~

 **News reporter: "….and the hearing ended with the judge deciding to extend the current trial against Satomi Rentarō and Tendō Civil Security for another hearing. At this point in time, it is very likely that Rentarō-san will be facing at the very least life imprisonment for his role in allowing his Initiator to transform and go wild, although some prosecutors claim that the death sentence would be a more fitting punishment. Ultimately, the judge's decision will determine the fate of the guilty Promoter. As for the organization that employs him, many expect that the fine they will be charged with will….." and the reporter continued to trail off while relaying this information to the viewers. The grown man standing in his chair from a distance from the TV set, leered a bit, amused at the hearing of that.**

In all honesty, it has been a long time since Masahiko Tanimura had ever been so invested in the news. Normally, much like everything in the world around him for the past couple of years, he would simply shrug it off with nihilistic indifference and just accept it as the way the world moves and not worry too much about it. After all, despite being only in his late thirties, he was unusually sadistic in his outlook of reality and humanity in general. He had lost all hope a long time ago and now he felt very disconnected from the current events happening on the same planet as him. After all, when one person loses the will to live for himself, he readily relinquishes all optimism and interest in others as well. The fact that he lives by himself at the edge of a huge overgrown forest that greets him every morning when he walks out of his small cottage, in an area where no other human soul had stepped foot for more than a good couple of years, probably also contributed to his overly huge pessimistic outlook on life.

Masahiko: "He'll get what he deserves. That failure of a Promoter shouldn't even be allowed to live after what he did…." and yet, despite his indifference, he was now very happy to see that man receive his well-deserved punishment. As much as he wanted to believe that he didn't care about humanity anymore, he still wanted those that harmed its chances of survival get their comeupins. For whatever reason, he felt great dislike when even hearing the mentioning of that name.

He couldn't help but want to see this Rentarō Satomi suffer for his complete incompetence. That would at least provide him with proof that the human race was at the very least trying to better itself by getting rid of those who were undeserving of its support, especially those who were supposedly fighting for its survival yet were grossly inadequate in their jobs and were only doing more harm than good.

In his eyes, this Satomi Rentarō was such an individual, and seeing him be sentenced is giving Masahiko an odd sense of satisfaction.

Masahiko: "I guess, not even after all these years, did I manage to forget about that incident. I'm still holding a grudge…." he remembered how much fury he used to harbor against all Gastrea. That fury was more personal than anything else though, since it was one such creatures that was responsible for the ruining of his life, after all.  
But just as his mind was sinking in those old memories, he heard something which he had never expected to hear during his entire existence in that place: knocks on his front door.

The sounds were so foreign to him, as someone who lived in isolation from the rest of society for more than five consecutive years, that he almost had a heart attack when he had heard them. In his environment, the only creatures that produced noise besides him were the very rare Gastrea that would get too close for comfort on his property.

Masahiko: " _Maybe it's another one of those accursed creatures….although I don't think they are capable of understanding what knocks on the door are_ " such intelligent behavior most likely wouldn't be exhibited by the feral creatures of the forest. But if it wasn't a Gastrea, nor a wild animal, what could it be?

As he was pondering to himself about that quandary, more knocks followed, interrupting him again. The knocks felt purposeful, not the product of an animal coincidentally hitting his door in an accident in a similar pattern. The knocks were too….human-like.

Scared a bit, the man reluctantly and slowly approached the entrance to his house. When he got to the door he began asking.

Masahiko: "Who's there?" given how it was very likely for those knocks to have been produced by another human being, he first resorted to human speech before doing any further investigations and opening the door.

On the other side: "It's me! I'm…...someone you know" that was a very odd thing to hear. This made no sense to him. And not only that but the voice sounded childish, girlish even.

Was someone trying to play a prank on him? Surely not since given how civilization had abandoned that zone entirely, there wouldn't be any people, and children no less, roaming around there by themselves playing pranks. For one thing, he was the only resident in that area at all, or so he thought anyway.

Seeing how there was no other way of solving this curious mystery, he unlocked the door and flung it open. The sight was not what he was expecting: a small hairless child was shyly standing in front of him, playing with her fingers nervously while looking pitifully scared at him.

Child: "Uh….hi. Is this Gotō Aihara's house?" came the first sentence from that strange creature. The man rose his eyebrow in bewilderment, taken aback by this sight.

Masahiko: "Gotō….Aihara? I haven't heard that name for almost a decade. Who are you?" of course he didn't recognize her. Why would she expect anything else?

The girl, clearly very timid and not knowing how to handle this situation, mumbled what seemed to be gibberish to herself before trying to gather her strength and confidence when speaking to him.

Child: "My name is Enju Aihara. I'm….uh…..your daughter!"


	8. A glimpse into the past, part 1

Author's Note: first of all, I apologize for this delay in updating the story. What happened is that I did get impatient at some point when writing this story and, since Valentine's Day was pretty close, I decided to start uploading the chapters before finishing to write this entire fanfic to the end as I originally planned on doing. Long story short, I ended up behind schedule and eventually I exhausted all my pre-written chapters by the time chapter 7 became published so now I have no more pre-written content to offer. For now, I'm sorry to say, I'll be uploading new chapters a lot slower since I have no more pre-written content to upload in the meantime. The upload schedule will be slowed down to once every two or three weeks to make it feasible for me to actually produce them and maintain a sense of quality as well as reserving time for personal life.

Aside from that, this chapter as well as the ones following this will be a slight discontinuation from the current story and will focus on the past events of Enju's and Rentarō's lives. This is meant to give the readers further insight on how they came to know as well as trust each other before the events in the anime. Please note that this is not official cannon, but is added by me to serve a purpose, mainly that of reminding Rentarō of why he became so determined to protect Enju. Starting from a couple of chapters in the future, the events will be portrayed from Rentaro's point of view and is in fact him from the present point in the story, remembering how he met his Initiator for the first time. This current chapter and probably the next one as well are merely to give further context to the reader and is told from Enju's point of view.

~Tokyo, Initiator training nr. 4, four years before current events~

It was cold. So very cold inside that mess hall.

And not just cold, but gray. Everything had a metallic feel to it, the dead monotonous gray that had been on display since day one in that place. Even the plastic utensils and walls were painted gray, just different hues of it, for some sadistic reason. And yet nobody complained about it at all.

All the young girls there were used to that environment, seeing how almost all of them had grown up and lived their entire lives in that sterile surrounding. They had been in there for so long that, if it were not for their varying natural colors in various body parts, like their skin, eyes and hair, their brains would surely have forgotten that other colors even existed.

They were all enjoying their meals, quietly eating immersed in the silence they were bathed in. An occasional conversation would pop up every so often among them, but it would quickly die out and they would simply resume consuming food. After all, for a bunch of children who didn't have much to do all day long except eat, shower and sleep, there weren't many topics to discuss.

The only real entertainment that they had in their lives were from the audio books that they had at their disposal to play before bedtime. And even those weren't very listened to, as they were all simple short fairy tales. The list of such stories was also not a big one, with the total collection of playback time amounting to under twenty hours. While that might seem impressive at first glance, it really wasn't given how this list was rarely updated with new stories and almost all of the girls living there had exhausted it in less than a year.

Such stories had been monumental for some of them, though, as they were the first depictions of the outside world they have ever witnessed. Concepts which were foreign to the inhabitants of that building, such as the sky, the sun, grass, even rivers and forests seemed magical to them. After all, more than 95% of them hadn't even been outside at all and that one location was all they knew. To them, those simple fairy tales were the most amazing things in their lives, not just for their narratives, but also for the presentation and depictions of such new other-worldly elements.

And that was pretty much all that their existences amounted to: isolation.

And in that monotone, dull and mentally numbing place, were all their lives concentrated.

Currently, many different girls of many different ages were randomly scattered around, each group eating at their own tables. The food wasn't all that great, but it was all they ever knew and had for consumption.

Then, one day, out of the blue, a new sound interrupted their docile serenity, with the booming voice of a grown man catching their focus.

 **Speaker: "Attention: specimen 328 is asked to present herself to the director's office immediately. I repeat: specimen 328 is asked to present herself to the director's office immediately!" came the sudden eerie and annoying order that spread throughout that facility.**

All the girls looked around, with worried faces at each other, trying to determine who was the unlucky one that got called out. And among all of them, a redheaded girl was the one who realized that she was the one.

Enju, when hearing that, dropped her fork onto the table, her face white as a sheet of paper.

She was scared. After all, that was the first time in her entire life when she had been called to the director's office. To her, this was frightening, since she immediately assumed that this meant that she had probably done something unforgivable in the recent past that probably earned her a very severe punishment that she would now receive.

Needless to say that she felt very anxious now.

With many pairs of eyes on her, as everyone else realized that she was the one who had gotten called, she slowly hopped off her chair and left her meal unfinished while beginning to walk slowly towards the exit of the mess hall, all while trying to avoid the stares of the girls on her. She felt very concerned to say the least.

~Director's office~

Naoto: "It's nice to finally see you arrive here, 328" the one officially in charge of that facility suddenly greeted her disinterestedly as soon as she opened the door to the office. Timidly and slowly, she then proceeded to close the door shut behind her, before making her way towards the chair in front of his desk.

Enju: "You called me, sir?" with a shaky and low voice, almost in tears, she asked.

Naoto: "Yes, I did. Did you not hear my order via the speakers?" the man, less than impressed by her scared pathetic persona, continued. Enju, feeling very stressed when seeing him confirm it, didn't know what to do now. Considering how she had never been in this position before, she was understandably confused and scared.

Enju: "I'm….sorry" almost like a self-defense mechanism that just kicked in reflexively, she began to say something completely unexpected, trying to lessen whatever punishment she had envisioned was in store for her. "I didn't mean it! Please, forgive me!" she begged desperately, even though she didn't even know what she was apologizing for, ironically enough.

Naoto simply raised his eyebrow in confusion, not really sure how to respond to that. Why was this girl suddenly apologizing to him?

Naoto: "Why are you apologizing? Did you do something bad?" he inquired, still with an unreadable face. The girl, already panicking and clearly distressed, continued.

Enju: "I….don't know" she admitted in front of him. The man was not only even more dumbfounded now, he was even disturbed a little. Was his persona so intimidating to children that he had unknowingly created an oppressive image of himself in front of the Cursed Children under his care? That would be counterproductive with respect to his facility's purpose.

Naoto: " _(sigh)_ I didn't ask you to come here because I wanted to punish you, 328" he tried to clarify, a bit annoyed at the child in front of him. Hearing that, Enju's heart decreased in its excessive beatings, as the girl suddenly felt a gush of release when realizing how stupid it had been of her to simply just assume the worst case scenario for no reason. Then again, considering how she had never been summoned in such a way before, it only felt natural for her to jump to such uninvited conclusions.

Enju: "Ah…..you didn't?" feeling a bit stupid now, she then continued to climb the unusually high seat in front of the man's desk.

Naoto: "No. Rather, I asked you to come here so that I can give you this!" he then handed her a small photo. The girl, once having received it, stared at the image painted on that piece of plastic in wonderment. The image printed on it was the full color frontal capture of a seemingly young woman, in her mid twenties, wearing a soft artificial smile on her face, very much like what one would wear when taking the photo for his driver's license.

In fact, that entire picture had all the resemblance of an ID photo, because it was actually downloaded from the government's basic resident registry network database actually. It was also a very small photo, easy to hold in one hand. It was barely bigger than a postage stamp. Even so, it was very clear and concise and, despite lacking any artistic perspective and being very bland and lifeless, conjured a very odd sensation from the young girl holding it.

Something about that photo attracted Enju's attention in an odd way. The girl couldn't quite understand why.

The woman on it had long crimson hair, brown eyes and a slightly big forehead. Her skin felt a bit tanned compared to the average Japanese and she displayed an exquisite sense of calmness and beauty.

Naoto: "That's your mother!" the man exclaimed coldly, with very little emotion in his voice. The girl, still perplexed, didn't even know where to begin asking questions.

Enju: "My…..mother?" that was another new thing to her that day. Honestly, she lacked even the proper concept of a 'mother'. After all, as a girl who had grown in isolation from the rest of society in that facility, very much like in a prison, and being separated from any family, she had never even known what it probably meant to have a mother. The only thing she understood about that was from the aforementioned audio book fairy tales that she had once listened to before she usually went to sleep. In those stories, the concept of a mother was that of a gentle woman who would caress the protagonist of the story gently and tend to his wounds when he was injured, making him happy. The news that she herself had a mother made her cheerful because it invited the prospect of having such a caring person in her life.

Enju: "I have a mother?" all the previous fear she had held before arriving there had instantly vanished now as energy began to permeate her small and now reinvigorated body.

The older man sighed in displeasure, realizing that now he also had to undergo the exact same routine that he had gone through in the past with all the other girls in that facility that had went through the same thing.

Naoto: "Yes, Enju. You have a mother. Her name is Sakura Aihara and that was the picture she took when renewing her resident registration card. It's a bit old since that photo should be ten years old by now, but it's the most recent one we've got. I'm afraid you'll have to make do with it" normally, this would have been a giveaway for anyone intelligent enough to realize that her mother was passed away by that point. However, being a very young child, this fact didn't get registered by Enju.

Enju: "Sakura….Aihara" she repeated to herself slowly, almost like trying to memorize the name so that she will remember it in the future. It felt very strange to hear and learn of such a thing all of a sudden without any previous warning. She had never even been told up until that point that she even had parents. After all, no one ever came to visit her, call her or try to get in contact with her. So this felt very new to her.

Enju: "Is it fine if I….keep this?" the girl asked shyly, still very reserved and trying not to anger the authority figure in front of her.

Naoto: "Yes, you may keep it. After all, as I said already, this is a gift to you! That means that this photo is now yours!" and yet again the girl raised her eyebrows completely taken aback. Gift? She had never received any gifts in the past so this was even more confusing to her.

Enju: "This is a gift? For me? Why?" as someone who wasn't used to any of these things, this felt overwhelming to her. The man couldn't really blame her.

Naoto: "Basically, me and some other important people decided some time ago to give to all you girls living here under our care photos of your mothers when you would become old enough to be able to hold onto them. We didn't really have a good reason for this, you can just think of this as us acknowledging that you grew up and are now responsible enough to take care of these photos by yourselves…..probably. Since today you became seven years of age, this is the best moment to give you this gift. Do you understand now?" despite this explanation, the girl still felt very uncomfortable, mainly because this was all new to her and she had never dealt with either a birthday, gifts, or knowledge of a possible parent before. All of these things felt so foreign to her.

Enju: "I'm seven now?" this didn't carry much weight to her. For someone who didn't even know how to count yet, this was just another random thing that had more meaning to the adults around her than it did to her.

Naoto: "Yes, Enju, you are seven now! And today's your birthday!" even more meaningless info, as she had never celebrated her birthday. Frankly, even receiving a gift at all felt like a miracle to her. The girl stared longingly at the photo in her hand for a bit, almost like being bedazzled by insurmountable amounts of beauty hidden within its plastic, before thanking Naoto for his kindness and retreating back to her cell.

~Enju's cell~

She remained on her soft bed, on top of the covers, simply lying down on her abdomen while gazing at the same object that had enraptured her for the past hours. She didn't really have an idea of why she was so unnaturally happy just for looking at it, she simply just felt like doing it, trying to memorize every single detail printed on it.

After all, this was very relevant for her. Ever since she could remember, nobody had ever told her anything about any of her parents. And now this bomb was dropped onto her. She didn't even know how to feel about this entire situation, as conflicting emotions were swirling inside of her, raging in intensity.

The woman in the pic felt like an idol, a human representation of perfection to her. She felt like the most amazing human of all time, even though she had never personally met her before. She wondered: how would this woman be in real life as a person?

Nozomi: "So, they gave you a picture too…." came a sudden unexpected statement from a new person entering the room. Enju almost jumped out of bed in surprise at that, feeling her heart skip a beat at that rather explosive entrance.

Enju: "Oh, you startled me, Nozomi-chan" the poor scared girl let out weakly, a bit annoyed at how her roommate had basically brutally invaded her privacy without even so much as knocking. Then again, Nozomi would usually do that to her despite the constant complaining she had done to her in the past for that exact same reason repeatedly. "What do you mean by that? Did you get a photo of your mother, too?" came the natural evolution of this discussion.

Nozomi: "Yeah, I did. I'm a bit older than you and I had my seventh birthday a couple of months ago. They gave this to me" after that she pulled out her own small photo from one of her pajamas' pockets and revealed it to Enju. The girl stared in awe again, noticing this other grown woman's face plastered on that small piece.

Enju: "That's so cool! Why didn't you tell me about this? You told me that roommates shouldn't keep any secrets from each other, right?" she felt a bit hurt by that but that question was asked more out of curiosity than anything else. Nozomi simply smiled a bitter smile at that.

Nozomi: "Well…..various reasons let's say. Although I was going to explain all of this to you when you got yours too. I wasn't entirely sure just yet that literally everyone who reached our age would receive the same treatment. Guess this is just more evidence to confirm it again" the other redheaded child said nonchalantly before climbing on her own bed which layed on top of Enju's.

Enju was still very curious though and so she climbed those same stairs to her bed, after her cohabitation partner.

Enju: "I can't believe we're so lucky! I didn't even know I had a mommy! Did you know? My mother's name is Sakura Aihara! What's your mother's name?" she asked full of optimistic energy. For someone living in such a bland environment, obviously even this small ripple in her day to day life was enough to make a child as young as her explode with energy and vigor.

However, her enthusiasm wasn't really shared.

Nozomi: "I don't know it. I forgot…." suddenly there was a shift in mood, a very strong one. Enju felt a shiver run down her spine when hearing that.

Nozomi's change in tone felt very unnatural which scared her a bit.

Enju: "You….forgot?" the girl asked a bit perturbed, not really sure how to take that. How can one forget their own parent's name?

Nozomi: "It's only natural, isn't it?" suddenly the girl replied sharply with powerful anger rushing out of her voice out of the blue. "They only told me her name once….and I never heard it from anyone ever since. I don't hear it in conversations! I don't hear it in audio books either! The only way for me to remember it is if I keep chanting it to myself before I go to sleep!" for whatever reason the girl felt very pissed. Well, not really angry at anyone in particular, more like very frustrated with the situation she was in.

Enju only stared worriedly at her, not really sure how to address this unpleasant change of atmosphere.

Enju: "Is that what you kept whispering to yourself a couple of months ago when you went to bed, Nozomi-chan?" she recalled then how that had used to be the case a while back when Nozomi would very lowly whisper something before going to sleep at night. As her roommate, Enju could tell that she was whispering something, but it was so low that she couldn't really make what it was.

Nozomi: "It's painful….to know about someone who is important to you but forget about them….it feels very unfair for them to do this to us!" she mentioned the people working at that facility who had given them those photos. "I really wanted to remember her. So I did my best to not forget about it. But eventually you forget everything that you don't really use. Eventually there came a time when I just couldn't remember her name anymore….and despite my best efforts, I just couldn't recall it!" for whatever reason, this conversation felt like it was only going downhill from there. Enju only stared pitifully at her friend, not sure how to help.

Enju: "You know, you can just go to the director's office and ask for her name again. I'm sure he would help you out!" she tried to offer whatever meager advice she could come up with on the spot. Sadly that did not satisfy her friend's needs though.

Nozomi: "SO WHAT? Just so I can forget about it later again?!" she rebutted, again, with more venom than was really appropriate. This point felt very meaningful for her, way more than Enju could have ever imagined.

Seeing how quickly Enju had backed away from her when she had blown up like that, Nozomi put a palm over her face and tried to calm herself down.

Nozomi: "Sorry, I didn't mean to yell. It's just that….it doesn't feel fair for them to just tell us about our mothers like this. Only knowing about them isn't making things any better for some of us, especially me. If anything I would rather see her in person, rather than this excuse of kindness!" this was unexpected. Enju could not remember Nozomi ever having acted in such a way before. Seeing her this worked up and emotional about anything was also new to her, although this time a bit scary too. "Say….Enju. Do you want to meet her?" then another shift in mood arrived. Enju simply stared back at her with no idea what to say again.

Enju: "Meet who?" she advanced.

Nozomi: "Your mother. Do you want to meet her?" a rather interesting proposition, to say the least.

Enju, not knowing where she was going, stood there wondering for just a second what she should say. However, there wasn't much to ponder. The answer to that question was fairly straightforward.

Enju: "Yes, I do!" she had confidence and determination in her eyes, without even a glimpse of hesitation. Nozomi liked that. It didn't feel like a fake conviction, it felt natural.

Nozomi: "Then….what if I told you that you had a chance to do it? What if there was a way for you to get to meet her by yourself?" clearly something was off, even Enju could tell that. However, she would lie if she said that the prospect didn't interest her.

Yes, it was very unlikely for this to be possible, she was well aware of that. But maybe Nozomi knew about something that she didn't.

Enju: "I…..would want to meet her" she simply said in response to that. Nozomi smiled a small smile when hearing that response.

Nozomi: "How much would you be willing to risk for such a thing to happen?" this felt bad, very bad. But the girl didn't want to stop so she persisted.

Enju: "What do you mean by that?"

Nozomi: "There's a good reason why I never told you anything about this before, Enju. You see, I'm not the oldest one in this facility, nor am I the first one of us to receive a photo. Many more girls did before you and some even before me. In fact, a sizable portion of this facility's Cursed Children have already received their photos, those that are from the oldest generation, like us" Enju listened very intently this discussion, trying to parse every single thing she was hearing. "And many of them are becoming more and more restless with each day. Many want to actually meet their mothers now that they learned about them and aren't satisfied with this. Some of the girls are even planning to break out!" now was the point when Enju learned exactly where this was going. Needless to say she wasn't particularly happy discussing this topic, especially since it was such a dangerous thing to talk about. If any of the guards patrolling those halls were to hear them, they would get punished for their attempt at a rebellion, for sure.

Enju: "And….you're part of that group?"

Nozomi: "Yes, I am" she proudly declared to her roommate, feeling very confident as well now. That both impressed but also scared Enju a lot. "I didn't want to involve you in this since I wasn't really sure if you would really help us or not. But seeing how much you want to meet your mother, I think it's safe to include you into our group as well? After all, we're only missing one member to start with our escape plan!" now things were going way too fast, so Enju immediately tried to pull this conversation back a bit.

Enju: "Wait, are you sure about this? Isn't it very risky, though? You know that many of the girls that tried this before all ended up in The Room, right?" she remembered about all the previous attempts of escaping that facility from various other girls before them. And all of them had ended up fairly badly, especially since every one of them ended up having to endure the most severe punishment that that establishment had to offer. The infamous Room, which was discussed here, was what was known to scar children there, and almost all of the girls who had gone into it had come out….different than how they had been before they went in.

Nozomi: "I know. But….still. I want to meet mama! I want to see her face at least! Maybe she's still alive somewhere out there! And I want to find her!" this felt very dangerous. Enju felt bad about this and wasn't entirely convinced. So she tried to see if she could wiggle her way out of that and politely turn down the offer.

Enju: "I don't know….I don't really feel comfortable with this. How are you guys even planning to escape?" that was a very valid concern, one that was a very important one, after all.

Nozomi: "That's not really a problem! The code for the thingy next to all doors is 8830. That's how you open them! And the password for the computers to shut down some of the security cameras is r-e-d-l-i-g-h-t-6-4-9!" that was surprising. Enju could only stare amazed at these new pieces of information that she before had thought were un-acquirable.

Enju: "How…..do you know all of that?!" she was pretty easy to impress, something which Nozomi found quite cute.

Nozomi: "Some of the girls went on spying duty and peaked around when they saw personnel here use those codes. We weren't just doing nothing while waiting around for a new member to pop up, after all" this was pretty impressive, to say the least. Enju hadn't really expected for all of these preparations to be done, so this took her by surprise, to say the least. If nothing else, it was really convincing to her.

Enju: "That's...pretty amazing" she said the only thing she could say at that point. Naturally, Nozomi smiled at that.

Nozomi: "Convinced you? Then, are you willing to join us?" regardless of how impressed she was, Enju still knew that this was a huge risk for them to take. Normally, she wouldn't ever think about doing this, especially since she had been a model child there. She had very rarely been naughty, very rarely doing anything that went against common rules, not even staying up past the lock-down hour as some other girls would do.

To her, disobedience always felt unwarranted and just senseless, especially since the punishments that many of the girls there would receive for disregarding regulations were usually quite severe, commonly amounting to a lot of physical abuse.

IISO did a lot of things in order to ensure that their personnel would never go astray in their hatred towards the Cursed Children under their care and so they all had rules in place to prevent the soldiers patrolling through their facilities from abusing their authority and hurting them. Consequently, many of those same soldiers who had deep hatred towards the virus harboring specimens would jump immediately at the occasion of being allowed to punish the girls there and would take advantage of it at even the smallest opportunity. This meant that even slight signs of rebelliousness would lead to a lot of pain for the children involved.

Being frail, Enju had always tried her best to avoid any such confrontations so as to not give the guards there reason to abuse her.

But now, the situation was different as she now stood to gain something which was important to her. Indeed, the idea scared her, but she now had the chance of maybe even meeting her mother, a chance that she had never even conceptualized up until that day.

Nozomi: "This is for your mother, Enju! And not just yours but all of our mothers! We all want to meet them! We all want to be there with them! We all want to be happy with them!" she tried to push, going out of her way to make Enju agree and accept her invitation. She saw how she was in deep thought, which meant that she was on the right track in trying to convince her. "Please….Enju. Help us see our mothers! Help us help you meet with Sakura!" she made one final step towards her goal. The younger girl, after thinking it over thoroughly, simply let out a deep sigh before giving her her answer.

Enju: "I'm in!"

~2 days later, control room~

Two computer operators were idly standing by, quietly analyzing the data output on their terminals. It was a boring task simply watching over the data displayed on the screens and keeping track of the readings since it very rarely happened for anything out of the ordinary to occur. Still, it was their jobs to ensure that they would spot any anomalies when they would happen in real time and alert the proper units about the disturbances in a controlled and orderly fashion. They were pretty much the response team in case anything was to go awry.

Normally, this almost never happened because of the extreme discipline enforcement in that building, so outside of the regular technical malfunction of some devices there which occurred every once in a while, there was almost never anything to report, which rendered their jobs pretty lifeless and boring.

Operator 1: "Still thinking about that thing? You should really stop, it's very unhealthy!" one of them asked the other in continuing with the conversation that they were having all by themselves in that room while also paying some attention to the displays that were showing various footage of security cameras variously scattered across the facility.

Operator 2: "Yeah, I know it is. But I still can't believe my daughter did such a thing at her school. I told her a million times never to disobey her teacher, especially in the middle of class! Now, she's facing expulsion! And for what? Just because she didn't want to lose an argument with her classmate? I grounded her for five months for that and she won't be seeing any pocket money from me from now on!" the man nonchalantly replied with clear anger in his voice and with an exasperated expression on his face. He seemed to be very pissed.

Operator 1: "Children are becoming more and more of a problem nowadays. For whatever reason the only thing that matters to them now is how right or wrong they are. They never seem to believe in context or bowing their heads properly towards those who have more experience than them. This is probably because of the western influence and how the liberal ideas are planted into their minds about rights and freedoms. They lose sight of honor and respecting those that make society a better place!" he commented randomly even though he was talking about his colleague's daughter in a not very positive way. His companion didn't disagree though and was even reinforcing his ideas.

Operator 2: "Precisely! That's why I asked the internet company to end our contract with them! I don't need that kind of attitude in my house! I work hard to keep a food on her table just to see her do well in school and make a name for herself! And this is what I get in return? If she doesn't know how to respect others older than her then I'll teach her discipline even if it's the last thing I….." but suddenly he stopped in his tracks when he noticed a warning sign suddenly appear on his screen in bright red. "….huh?" he instantly lost his train of thought, stunned by this. Truthfully, this was the very first time in his entire career working in that building when he had seen that warning message pop up, which threw him completely off course in confusion.

Operator 1: "What is it? Found something interesting?" seeing his friend's freeze in action, the man approached him by dragging his office chair closer to him, staring a bit worriedly at him.

Operator 2: "Something's wrong…." he began to speak nervously, a bit scared. "There's no power being supplied in sector C. The cameras went off and it's saying that they aren't sending any signals back to us. The entire area must have become cut off from the grid!" he began typing random commands on his keyboard trying to find more about this new evolution.

Operator 1: "Maybe it's a technical malfunction on one of them?" he tried to supply a logical reason for this. His friend disagreed though.

Operator 2: "Yeah but it's happening on all the cameras in that sector at the same time. It's not a single failure on one of them! The only way this could have happened is if the power got cut off on all of them!" that made sense.

Operator 1: "Huh….maybe a short circuit forced the circuit breakers to switch then?" another plausible theory, although this too was shot down almost immediately.

Operator 2: "No….the instruments didn't seem to have recorded any energy spikes in the grid. All circuit breakers report being switched on as well" he continued the report with growing worry in his voice.

As someone who had never encountered any real emergency in the past in that building, at least not of that scope, he was becoming a bit panicky. Granted, they had protocols in place that clearly stated what they should do in such circumstances so it wasn't like they didn't have any recourse to respond by, it was simply that they were a bit perturbed by this unexpected turn of events.

Operator 1: "OK, I'm sounding the alarm then!"

~Random hallway~

Suddenly the alarm began ringing across the entire building, alerting everyone of the state of emergency initiation. Throughout the facility, the reverberating sounds of it sent shivers down everyone's spines, mainly because it had so very rarely been used before.

Speakers: "Attention everyone: due to various technical difficulties that we are experiencing, we are beginning an emergency lock down in sector C. All specimens are kindly asked to quietly and peacefully leave that area until the lock down is ended. In the meantime, military units on patrol duty are ordered to present themselves in the affected area to investigate any possible breaches. That is all!" came the loud voice booming out of the speakers, informing everyone of their duties.

When hearing such a thing, two soldiers nearby who were walking around in their usual manner immediately began running in a completely different direction than before, clearly following the orders that they have received. Immediately after they disappeared in the distance in the hallways, a group of girls emerged from one of the rooms.

Nozomi: " _(smiling devilishly)_ Good, now the coast will be clear for a good while until they find the problem. Nami-chan, you really did a good job with the cables there!" she complemented her fellow specimen while patting the other girl on the head lightly, much to the latter's enjoyment.

Nami: "It wasn't that hard, honestly. After all, all I had to do was play around with some exposed cables in that place until the lights went off. Then, I just hid the broken cables out of sight. They won't find them for a good while" she proudly spoke, filled with confidence after her actions.

Nozomi: "Now that all the soldiers are busy and not around us, we can do this a bit more easily. And the timing is exactly how we had planned, since the computer in the next room should be shut down and unsupervised now, as it usually is this day of the week" she commented before motioning everyone else in that group of young children to follow her. They all nodded their heads and proceeded to do as instructed.

They came to the door to the room which was locked, input the code to open the door and then entered it and ensured they were out of view. Since that was more of an emergency room that was seldom used, it didn't have an activated camera inside so nobody could watch over them.

They quickly shut the door behind them, turned on the lights and powered up the dusty computer. They then logged in with the stolen credentials and began exploring the interface.

Nozomi: "Do you think you can turn the cameras off with this thing?" came an anxious request.

Nami: "I don't really know. I haven't used computers at all up until now" that shouldn't really be any surprise to anyone there, considering that outside of the headset equipment they had used to listen to audio books at night, none of them had ever been exposed to technology in any way before, especially nothing as complex as a computer. All they knew was that using the right password gave them access to what's behind the lock screen, and they learned that by observation of the personnel working there. Anything beyond that was outside their understanding.

Nozomi: "Well, you're the only one of us who can read, so all of our hopes are in you now!" that was an easy thing to declare for her although it obviously didn't help the girl at all. And Japanese is complicated, especially for a seven year old. She just barely knew a bit of Katakana and some Kanji. Still, she was not about to let everybody down.

She began using the mouse and then clicking on various menu items on the application open in the foreground on the main screen, trying to click on every button that seemed to even remotely suggest an option to turn video cameras off.

After a lot of trial and error and meddling around, she eventually opened another window that took the focus that displayed a huge list of items in a big menu, with big green circles right next to each entry in that list. Without being able to read and understand what those entries actually said, the girl just moved the cursor over one of the big green circles and clicked on it, turning the circle from green to red.

Nami: " _Maybe this is it?_ " she wondered to herself, before clicking on it again and seeing it turn from red back to green again. That felt about right.

She then clicked on it again and made it red a second time, before beginning to click on all the other green circles in the list, toggling all of them.

~Control room~

Operator 2: "To think that we're so unlucky as to actually catch a lock down on our shift. I come to work here once every three days and I still end up as the one who goes through this crap. Why am I the unlucky one?!" he complained very loudly, much to his partner's dislike.

Operator 1: "There's nothing we can do about that. Either way, it's probably just something in the power grid. Hopefully it will end soon enough when the tech guys get here" he tried to improve the spirits of his friend.

Operator 2: "Yeah bu-…." but he stopped in his tracks when he noticed how one of the screens he was staring at suddenly turned from displaying a video feed to a black screen with white text on top of it reading 'Sensor device is switched off'. That was apparently an even worse concern for him now. He couldn't even believe his own eyes at first, thinking that he was just imagining stuff, until another screen also on the panel blacked out as well….and then another…..and another….."What….the hell?!"

~Random room~

Nami: "I'm done! I locked the cameras into off-mode! I don't think they'll be able to do anything from this point on!" she clarified, informing everyone from the group behind her and bringing all of their hopes up. The most difficult part of the mission was now over, thankfully. And it was a tremendous success for them.

Nozomi: "Are you sure about that? We need to be very careful before we move forward, otherwise they'll catch us!" she inquired, still a bit worried but also a whole lot more hopeful than before.

But before the other girl could speak up, another alarm began resounding within that building before the speakers activated again:  
Speakers: "Attention everyone: due to unforeseen complications, we are going to enter the whole building under lock down. All specimens are asked to immediately return to their cells and await further instructions there. Anyone found outside their cells in the hallways after the next ten minutes will be severely punished. I repeat: anyone found outside their cells in the next ten minutes will be punished!" that was the confirmation that she so desperately needed. This was the proof that their scheme had worked. Clearly the supervisors had no idea what was going on and were only following protocol, assuming the worst case scenario and issuing a building-wide lock down to ensure that no breaches happen at that point. Still, that won't be that helpful for them as the majority of the soldiers have already been moved into sector C and the hallways were now clear and, due to the shut down cameras, un-monitored as well.

This was all that Nozomi could have ever asked for.

The girl turned to everyone with a bright shining smile plastered on her face.

Nozomi: "Everyone, it's time to get out of this facility!"

~Control room~

Both operators were scrambling around very worried, not really sure what to do. They had followed the protocols by the book, doing everything to try to ensure that nothing was overlooked.

Still, they were almost panicking because they had never encountered anything like this ever before and they knew that if anything bad happened while they were on duty, they would be the first ones to be investigated afterwards by a disaster team.

But their worries didn't help them much when the door to their room suddenly opened and their boss made his way through it with clear anger on his face.

Naoto: "What is the meaning of this?! What the hell is going on here that warranted an emergency lock down of the entire building?!" he almost yelled at his subordinates, with so much vitriol in his voice that they both almost had a heart attack.

Operator 1: "We're not exactly sure, sir! We think it is a technical malfunction in our systems right now. After all, we had a power failure in sector C before we issued the big lock down procedure!", panicking, the older man blurted out hurriedly trying to see if he could calm his superior down and regain control of the situation.

Naoto: "'Technical malfunction' you say? Tell me: what technical malfunction are you talking about that's so catastrophic that you had to disrupt the activities throughout the entire fucking building?!" he was very angry, that much was plainly obvious. And the two didn't know what to do or say to calm him down. Either way, their jobs were at risk at that point so they tried to act as professional and straightforward as they could as there was nothing else they could do to save face.

Operator 1: "Well, all cameras throughout the building switched off almost instantly without any warning. And when we tried to reactivate them, the system wouldn't allow us. Apparently the devices are locked by user 'C7911' and we can't get unlock them from here for some weird reason" he reported everything he knew in an attempt to appease his overlord, although to no avail.

Naoto: "You idiot! C7911 is the emergency user! That user has more privileged access than many others, including your own! Someone must have logged into that user from an emergency room and issued the shutdown command!" he clarified, making both operators go wide-eyed at that revelation.

Operator 2: "Or maybe we got hacked by someone outside the system and now they're trying to sabotage us?" he shyly proposed although his theory was dismissed very quickly by Naoto.

Naoto: "No….all computers have remote log in disabled and security is very tightly enforced across all of them. It's far likelier that someone just physically accessed the computers from somewhere on our premises" he stated calmly and calculatedly before trying to run various theories through his head, contemplating silently. " _Could it be that some of the specimens did that? But….no….the user is password protected and all emergency rooms are locked with the electric lock. Not only that but the kids here don't even know how to count, much less be able to use a computer…..then again…._ " he had a gut feeling. A feeling that told him to not completely rule out this possibility.

Having been at some point a soldier, he had been trained to use his instincts and listen to them whenever things weren't going as normal and when protocols wouldn't do much help. And his instincts were telling him that something fishy was going on and that this was most likely not just some ugly software bug as his operators were naively claiming.

Naoto: "Are all the soldiers still in sector C?" he asked out of nowhere, surprising the other two men there.

Operators 1: "Y-yes. We gave them that order after noticing the power outage there!" that was already a sign that something suspicious was happening.

Naoto: " _First a power outage and now this?_ _This is far too much of a coincidence!_ Order them to immediately start patrolling the halls again! But keep the lock down active and the Cursed Children in their cells! Also, don't issue this order via the speakers but via the walkie-talkies that the soldiers have, so that the specimens won't hear this. Have the soldiers do a quick sweep through all of the facility as fast as possible!" he coldly ordered, surprising both of them.

Operators 2: "But….sir, according to the protocol book, we shou-..." but he was quickly cut off by his superior.

Naoto: "I don't give a shit about any protocols! I'm giving you a direct order! Now execute it!"

~Hallways~

The small group of children were running around, slowly moving from one section of the building to the next. At this point, they were very confused as they were in a restricted access zone, outside of the usual areas where they had been allowed to roam around in the past.

One of them suddenly came running from one of the side hallways reuniting with the group, a bit exhausted from the sprint she had taken.

Nozomi: "Well? Did you find anything?" she asked impatiently the other girl who was barely managing to catch her breath again after running so much.

Girl: "No, I checked all the possible paths in that place like you told me to! No signs of any easy exits. They all seem to lead back to the mess hall!" she reported very depressed, almost apologetically.

Nozomi simply frowned at this information, realizing what was going on.

Nozomi: "I see…..good job anyway! You did well!" she tried to reassure the almost panicking partner, before thinking a bit to herself. " _Great_ … _.all hallways seem to go in different direction_ _s_ _although they almost always end up converging at some point to a common room at the end! Who the hell designed this place?!_ " it was very annoying to admit this but they were all lost. Not that anyone could blame them since they were so young and were trying to find the exit to what seemed like a true labyrinth.

And calling it a labyrinth wouldn't be an exaggeration since that entire place had been intentionally crafted in such a distinct and unpleasant way. That entire facility had been architecturally structured so that anyone who didn't carefully read the blueprints of the place and, especially those who were rushing through it, would very easily get lost.

Hallways that split in multiple points into branching paths, that would eventually intermix with others and then randomly join again with new ones unexpectedly, diverging and converging in seemingly meaningless and confusing ways across multiple points; rooms that pretty much looked the same all the time; monotone walls that gave almost no clear indications of having been visited or not in the past as well as literally no signs to point them in any direction.

For a bunch of very young children, that entire building was a true nightmare.

Nozomi: " _Great…..what now? We can't give up now…..we're so close to_ _finding a way out! We'll have to-…._ " but her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by another one of them beginning to speak uninvited.

Mimi: "Someone's coming!" she let out all of a sudden, surprising everyone there. She then turned around and pointed to a long hallway that they were at the junction of, suggesting that the person she had said was approaching was coming from that way to the others. Mimi was a Model Bat and had very good acoustic hearing, which allowed her to detect people approaching very easily, especially in those hallways that had very good sound transmission.

Nozomi: "What?! Already?! But….all the soldiers were supposed to be in sector C! How come they're still around here?!" she complained audibly.

Mimi: "Well, I'm pretty sure they're soldiers. The boots they're walking with are heavy, too heavy for the other adults working here. And they seem to be in a hurry so we should get moving!" she insisted.

Nozomi: " _This is just perfect! T_ _his is exactly what we needed now!_ " she gritted her teeth, realizing that they were now running out of time. For whatever reason, things didn't seem to go as planned anymore. It seemed that someone must have tipped off the soldiers that an escape was probably undergoing there. Either that or they figured it out by themselves.

Annoyed and fed up with all of this, Nozomi was clearly agitated, not knowing which path to direct the girls through. Because all the hallways were so messed up, it would only be detrimental for them, at that point, to make a wrong turn and end up deeper into the facility again, where they came from.

Nozomi: "We….have no choice! Let's run this way!" she pointed to the hallway that seemed to be leading in the same direction that they had originally been traveling towards, with the consideration that if they were to go in a direction, they might as well stick to it at all times since it should eventually lead to somewhere at some point, which is always better than running in circles.

The girls looked at each other, realizing that their leader probably didn't know the proper path either but then all nodding to each other and agreeing to follow her, since neither of them had any better ideas at that moment. They began to run away fast down the aforementioned path, trying their best to distance themselves from the unexpected and undesired guests before they would get caught.

All of them were sprinting at full speeds trying their best to think up a strategy in case worst comes to worst and they ended up face to face with a group of soldiers. They were children, after all, and if they got unlucky enough, they would have to confront very well trained and well equipped soldiers. That, in itself, was a very scary thought for many of them.

They were running like mad attempting to the best of their abilities to prevent such a scenario. At one point they took a left turn. Then they went into a new sideways hallway to the right yet again. In this way they were trying to keep running in the same directions by canceling left turns with right turns. Without any signs to guide them, they could only hope that maintaining the same direction at all times would pay off eventually.

Nozomi: " _It's alright. As long as the cameras remain off, it's gonna be hard for them to catch us! All we have to do is keep on going until we find the-…._ " but she was quickly cut off again by her friend.

Mimi: "Wait….I sense them! There's more of them approaching from ahead!" she bluntly announced to everyone from the group. Almost instantly all the girls stopped in their tracks, all horrified at this.

Nozomi: "Wait…..are you serious? Even more of them?!" she couldn't believe their luck.

Mimi: "Yes, and they are approaching fast. We'll probably have to backtrack!" that was very bad news, all of them knew that. It was especially disappointing since they had put all their faith in that hallway and now they had to abandon it just to not get caught by the approaching soldiers.

Nozomi: "Tsk…..fine. Let's go back!" she tried to order the girls, although this time with less success. Some of the girls felt very reluctant when hearing this new order, almost like they were having second thoughts now.

Riko: "I don't know if I like this….what if the other soldiers from before are still behind us? If we backtrack now, they might catch us!" she argued, to which others nodded in unison. Nozomi didn't like this. She didn't like it when others challenged her orders, especially when things weren't going that well. She didn't have the time to try to convince them then.

Nozomi: "If we stand here then we'll get caught anyways by the ones coming from the other direction! So it's either them or the ones behind us! And I'm taking my chances with the ones behind!" she tried to be as direct and honest as possible, trying to see if this would work.

After presenting things in that way, the other girls, still a bit worried, eventually agreed and went back with her.

The biggest issue for them was that they had no map of that place, which made navigating through there incredibly difficult.

Mimi: "Wait!" again, everyone stopped immediately, almost mechanically at that command.

Nozomi: "What?" naturally their leader was worried.

Mimi: "Riko was right….the guards from behind us are also approaching! We're trapped in-between!" came the incredibly unfortunate news. This was very bad.

Since they were so ahead into the prohibited area and especially after the beginning of the lock down when they had been specifically instructed to stay in their rooms, they knew they would get punished very badly for this insubordination. So badly that they didn't even want to begin to think of the consequences.

Nozomi: " _Come on….don't let us get captured! There's gotta be a way around this!_ " she mainly thought to herself, ferociously going through every single possible plans she could muster on the spot. None of them felt very good though.

But before she could find any solution to this dilemma, a deep male shout was heard from the distance.

Soldier: "HEY! WHY THE HELL ARE YOU GIRLS NOT IN YOUR CELLS?!" they have been found. Shivers went down their spines and all the children made a dash for it in the opposite direction.

All of them knew what awaited them and none of them had the desire to go through their punishments.

When running away from those soldiers, they were pleased to see that the other ones that had been previously detected by Mimi had actually turned around at some point so the hallway from the other direction was clear now for them to run through. They managed to run farther down the hallway thankfully before coming across the end and seeing the entrance to a room. Knowing that the soldier that had shouted after them was still on his way to that exact location as well chasing after them, they immediately input the code on the lock to open the door and dashed inside.

By the time the soldiers reached that room, they were already hiding in another adjacent room that was connected to the first. All the girls were carefully and quietly listening through the door to see what they would do.

Soldier 1: "You won't get away with this! It's over! Whatever you were trying to do is impossible to achieve now since we re-enabled the cameras across the facility! There's no way any of you are getting out of here!" he spoke confidently while checking the area out brazenly along with his partner.

This revelation scared the girls. They were trapped. That side-room had no other exits and it was just a matter of time until the soldiers would check that chamber too and find them there. And even if they got out now, if what he had said earlier was true, then it would be pointless for them to advance anyways even if they got lucky and ended up running in the right direction since, with the cameras activated, there was no real chance of any of them getting out of there at all. Obviously the soldier could have been bluffing and simply trying to demoralize them but still, without any proper plan or way out of this, was taking the risk really worth it?

Nozomi: " _No_ … _.I want to meet my mommy! I won't allow them to stop me! I won't allow anyone to stop me!_ " she didn't want to give up, no matter what. She wanted to proceed regardless of how infirm their chances of success were.

She quickly and carefully scanned the room they were in with her eyes, trying to identify any possible solution to their problems before they would run out of time.

Looking around, she eventually found what could be their only salvation: an air vent in the ceiling.

Nozomi: "There! We can get out by climbing through that vent up there!" she pointed her finger at what was their seemingly last heavenly token that could lead them to freedom. All the girls looked at the possible exit, initially filled with hope in their eyes. However, after taking a good look at this prospect, some of them lost a lot of it quite quickly.

Riko: "I'm…..scared, Nozomi-chan!" one of them cried out, finally beginning to crack under the pressure. "I don't like this! I don't think I can do that!" she cried weakly to her leader, which displeased her greatly.

Nozomi: "Like it?! Who said you have to like it?! I don't like it either! But we have to go through with it if we ever want to have even a chance of meeting our mothers!" she responded very angry, which scared Riko and made her shut up.

Riko's sudden stroke of cowardice was not without reason, though. She was among the chubbier of the girls there, not due to her eating excessively in any way, it was merely a consequence of her constitution and poor metabolism. Even as a small child, she would still probably end up having a considerable difficulty trying to fit in that air vent, especially since the entrance to it was on the ceiling. Most likely she wouldn't be able to make it, and all the other girls knew that. Still, Nozomi didn't care about that and simply just didn't address that issue as if it didn't exist.

Nozomi: "We need to get out of here!" she brushed off Riko's problem entirely before ordering the other girls to quickly but quietly try to assemble an improvised staircase for them to use to climb to the vent. The soldiers could get to them very quickly though.

Riko began trembling, realizing what Nozomi was planning on doing. If she wasn't able to crawl through that space, then it was very likely that their leader would simply leave her behind, since she would become a liability for the group at that point. She needed to get past her physiological condition and try to overcome that obstacle for her own sake.

As the girls kept building their exit as quickly as they could, Riko, realizing the reality of the matter and knowing that it would be a futile endeavor for her to even bother, crunched down on the floor and began sobbing quietly to herself. This alerted Enju.

Enju: "Come on, Nozomi-chan! We all know you can do it!" she tried to reassure her in a friendly manner.

Riko: "No….I can't! I know I can't!" that was the truth, regardless of how hard they both would try to deny it. They both knew it. "But it's OK….I don't mind! As long as you girls get to make it, it's gonna be fine! I'll make it out some other way…." this was depressing to say the least.

If the soldiers captured just her, and the others escaped, the punishment would be all the more painful for her. And yet she tried to put up such a brave face and try to not ruin it for the other girls.

Soldier 1: "Come out already! If you surrender now we'll make things easier for you!" one of the men said once again. All the girls looked at each other at that uninvited offer, with concern in their eyes.

Nozomi: "Don't listen to them! We're gonna make it to freedom!" she continued to persist no matter what.

Enju: "Nozomi-chan….." came a sudden unexpected call from the redhead. "What are we going to do with Riko-chan! She won't be able to fit through there!" Enju finally addressed what was the elephant in the room. She wanted to hear an answer from her leader. Despite this and the gravity of that question, her former roommate simply ignored her and didn't reply.

Riko: "It's fine, Enju! I said that I'll be OK! Don't worry about me!" she tried to insist with salty tears in her eyes. "Even if I'll be caught, still, thank you, for being a good friend and trying to help me find mama!" the poor girl said to Enju. The girl still wasn't gonna give up on her though.

Enju: "Answer me please, Nozomi-chan!" the girl insisted, this time with what seemed to be anger in her voice. This was what prompted Nozomi to simply sigh since she didn't want to say this with the others listening. But apparently Enju really wanted to hear it so she had no other choice.

Nozomi: "We're gonna leave her behind!" came the all too expected but previously silent remark that, still, sent shivers down both Riko's and Enju's spines. "There's nothing we can do to help her!" finally the girls managed to finish a simple staircase. Almost immediately Mimi began climbing it with a screwdriver in hand and began unscrewing the screws holding the gate at the entrance in place. They were so close.

Nozomi: "Finally, we'll get to escape out of thi-…." but suddenly she then realized that Enju wasn't there anymore right next to the girls. Feeling a sudden bad feeling in her gut, Nozomi began looking around for her, worried, before she caught sight of her.

All of a sudden, Enju was dangerously close to the entrance of the room.

Nozomi: "Wait! ENJU, DON'T-…." but her plea was far too late as the redhead forced the door open and bringing the attention of the soldiers from the other side onto her.

Enju: "We're here! We surrender!"


	9. A glimpse into the past, part 2

~Tokyo, Initiator training nr. 4, four years before current events~

Enju: " _(yawn)_ " the girl finally woke up from her bed, rubbing her right eye and feeling very drowsy for whatever reason that day. Her mouth also felt incredibly dry which was very unpleasant, to say the least. Even though she woke up on time as she usually did, that day getting out of bed was way more difficult for her than any other time.

She had a feeling that she knew exactly the reason why that was though: the day before, she had had a particularly nasty headache due to how much explaining and apologizing she had to do to the director of that facility, Naoto, as well as to the superintendent, after her and the other girls' act of rebellion.

But that was only natural and quite expected for them, given how they sabotaged sensitive and expensive equipment in that facility, entered prohibited areas in it, used the computers there to cause a state of emergency and also kept many soldiers busy by having them chase them for a good while. Frankly speaking, the fact that they got almost no punishment whatsoever in retaliation against what they had done was a miracle to say the least.

Granted, all of them had received many hours of scolding, as well as some minor restrictions to their freedoms, such as having an earlier curfew than the others there, no desserts allowed after any of their meals and the introduction of their names in the watch-list that was used to record any extreme misbehavior of children there (a watch-list that was used in that facility to keep track of delinquents and that was then handed over to the soldiers there to keep an eye out for the said individuals). The latter punishment was the worst for them, since it basically guaranteed that they would be under elevated supervision from that point onward, which was a guarantee that any further attempts at escape from them would become very unlikely and difficult to pull off. And given what they had done, it's very probable that their names won't be erased from that list for many years to come, possibly even forever.

That would also probably encourage the soldiers to become even more aggressive with them specifically when they will misbehave in the future again, which was just a promise for them them that they will receive worse treatment compared to the other girls in that facility.

But still, it was pretty incredible how they got away with so little given that, at the end of the day, what they wanted to do was escape. Anyone before them who had tried the same thing got off way worse than them: specifically they were all sentenced to The Room.

The simple fact that none of them had gotten that treatment, not even Nozomi who organized the whole thing, was unexpected to say the least. They had been pleasantly surprised when they had heard that they were basically gonna get away with just that, without even receiving physical punishments, as was the tradition in that building.

This was probably just the consequence of the fact that so many of them had participated in this escape plan, since their group was of fourteen members. That was undoubtedly the largest rebellion to have ever happened in the history of that facility, which meant that their director, Naoto, was so shocked by it that he had to reconsider their own policies and internal rules since it clearly wasn't just a simple matter of disobedience, but of a far larger problem that had been brewing for a longer time, given the scale of it. He probably already realized that the practice of giving out photos of their mothers to them was probably the ignition point, which was bad news for them since he could probably order them to dispose of them at once to quench the fire, although that would probably backfire and cause even more unrest.

Fuka: "Good morning, Enju! Didn't sleep well last night?" her roommate asked unexpectedly, making the girl almost jump out of her bed.

Enju: "Geez, why do you all like to startle me?!" she asked, trying to calm herself down after her initial scare. Fuka rolled her eyes at that reply.

Fuka: "We don't. You're just very nervous all the time! You'll probably grow old quicker than everyone here if you keep up with that behavior. You're always so stressed out!" that was easy for them to say. Since she had gone through what she had been through two days before, Enju felt like she was entitled to be very anxious at that point.

The experience of being chased down by soldiers had been more traumatizing than the actual punishments bestowed onto them, ironically enough.

Hiyori: "Yeah, maybe you'll turn as bitter and angry as Nozomi-chan, if you keep up with that!" spoke the last and final member of that room.

Enju: " _You shouldn't be talking about Nozomi-chan behind her back…._ " she hated how Fuka and Hiyori used to do that a lot. That always felt disrespectful to her and Nozomi, given how they were a bit older than both Fuka and Hiyori, who haven't reached the age of seven yet. Generally, the rule in Japan always dictated that the younger people should be more respectful towards those older than them, even for small age gaps, yet those two never seemed to hold those beliefs at all.

Enju: "You shouldn't talk bad things about Nozomi-chan, especially when she's not here! That's as bad as gossip!" Nozomi, after being discovered by Naoto to be the one who sparked the rebellion, had been detained into a different cell for further interrogation ever since, which meant that, for the time being, Enju, Fuka and Hiyori were the only inhabitants of that room. " _I really hope she's alright…._ " the redhead thought, still praying for her missing roommate's safe return.

After all, she did feel guilty for sabotaging Nozomi's plan of escape and forcing all the other girls back into the facility's hands once again. Even if it was to lessen Riko's punishment, it was still a clear act of betrayal from her part, an act that wouldn't be forgiven very easily, she was sure.

Fuka: "Meh, whatever!" the girl still smiled a sheepish happy face, before turning her head upwards to look directly at the girl sitting on the bed on the higher level. "Ready to go eat breakfast, Hiyori-chan?" the other girl also beamed a smile of her own before nodding her head energetically, to indicate that she was.

Enju sank back in her own bed, a bit depressed and still stressed about the events that had happened two days ago. She didn't feel like eating, especially not without Nozomi, since the two of them would also go together to eat breakfast. It was also because of this that she had skipped breakfast the previous day as well.

Enju: " _I wonder if she'll ever forgive me…._ " the guilt felt incredibly heavy. Even though she didn't really understand why yet, she still felt very bad for what she had done. From her eyes, she was just as guilty as Nozomi was, so it wouldn't really be fair if she didn't receive as much punishment as she would.

Hiyori: "Wanna join us, Enju-chan?" came the unexpected offer out of nowhere. Enju was surprised. Normally they never invited her to join them in eating breakfast; but that was probably because she always went with Nozomi. Since she wasn't there with them anymore, and since they had seen Enju not go to eat breakfast the day before, Fuka decided to be nice and encourage her to eat with them.

Enju stood there, thinking. She normally wouldn't go, since she didn't want to enjoy herself without her friend. But seeing how Hiyori seemed worried about her, it would be rude for her to refuse now.

Enju: "I'd like that…." she conceded.

~Cafeteria~

The girls finally arrived at their destination, with both Fuka and Hiyori as carefree as always. Enju was right behind them, tailing them while keeping her head low and with a depressed expression on her. Clearly she wasn't feeling like eating at all, despite agreeing to have breakfast with the two. In fact, she felt so down that she was even considering just grabbing a bread and a glass of juice and then simply stare at her roommates while they ate by themselves.

She had a lot of disinterest in pretty much everything, mainly because of her constant obsessive thoughts with regards to her actions two days ago. They were eating away at her sanity.

Still, that very quickly changed when one of the two noticed something which they didn't expect.

Fuka: "Oh hey….look! It's Nozomi-chan!" one of them informed the others while pointing her finger in the direction of the specified girl. Immediately Enju's heart skipped a beat when realizing this. "Finally, I was actually wondering where she was! Let's go say 'hello' to her!".

As soon as she finished that sentenced, both her and Hiyori almost instantly beamed themselves over to her location. Enju was scared. She didn't even have the courage of facing her anymore, even though she knew she had to.

For a second she considered suddenly turning around and running back into her room. She was too afraid of Nozomi at that point. However, her hopes were bludgeoned very quickly when Nozomi lifted her head when hearing the two approach her and instinctively threw a glance in Enju's direction.

Enju: " _Crap….she saw me_ " now it was too late. Even if she ran away at that point, it wouldn't help, since now Nozomi knew she had been in that cafeteria at one point. Running away now would only send the wrong message. " _I hope she'll forgive me…._ " she thought to herself a second time that day before pulling herself together and summoning the courage to walk forward and head into the direction of Nozomi's table. It was while she was walking towards her when she noticed how all the other people at Nozomi's table, as well as at the tables around hers, were all from their escape group, sitting together in the same area. And not only that but all the girls who were there glared at her when they caught glimpse of her timid arrival. That was a bad sign.

Fuka: "Geez, where have you been, Nozomi-chan? We're starting to get quite lonely without you!" came the nonchalant query which annoyed Nozomi instantly.

Nozomi: "I've been busy with various things. For one, Naoto-san sent me to a single-bed room for now where I was interrogated a lot" she blandly revealed, without displaying any emotions. Finally, Enju appeared next to her table and joined the other two in their discussion with her, although Nozomi chose not to give her any attention.

Fuka: "Wooo, that's so cool! So that means you have a room all of your own?! I'm so envious!" naturally, the younger girl missed the most important point of that conversation entirely. Clearly there was really no benefit to continue having a conversation with that person….

Nozomi sighed to herself before she picked up her fork again and continued to eat her food as if she had never been disturbed at all by them. Enju didn't know what to say, still thinking hard on how to approach the silent girl. However, Hiyori beat her to it.

Hiyori: "So, uh, when are you going to move back into our room? How much longer does the director plan to keep you under supervision?" the other girl, a bit more serious now than Fuka, addressed the question that was also on Enju's mind.

Nozomi: "Never" that was probably the most direct and blunt Nozomi had ever been in her entire life, simply landing that word clearly and concisely and without even an explanation afterwards to her former roommates. Even in the days when she had been in poor mood, she never acted that coldly to them. This perturbed them a lot.

Fuka: "What….do you mean by that? The director doesn't want you to live with us anymore?" that was a laughable conclusion to take. Much like always, Fuka couldn't be any further from the truth.

Nozomi: "Actually, no. I was the one who requested to move to a different room. That's why I never came back from the interrogation room. I'm ordered to stay there until a new room is assigned to me to move to" that still didn't explain the most glaringly obvious question that all the girls had in their heads though: the reason why she decided to do that.

Fuka: "What the hell?! You don't like us anymore?! I thought you liked chatting with us...or at least chatting with Enju-chan!" when hearing that name, Nozomi's eyebrow twitched compulsively.

Nozomi: "Yeah well, I don't wanna live in the same room with her anymore" she replied dismissively, almost like Enju was not there to hear that at all. She knew she was there with them, she just didn't care about hurting her feelings anymore. The redhead felt her heart ache a bit at that, realizing that her suspicions had been now validated and that her feared outcome was indeed proven true now: Nozomi hated her.

What could she say in response to that? She knew she was guilty, yet she didn't feel good being treated like this. Even if Nozomi was the one in the right, clearly, she didn't want their relationship to end like this.

Fuka: "You….don't?" this was the first time Fuka could remember seeing Nozomi say anything bad about Enju in any way. And the fact that she was so cheeky that she said that while also clearly doing her best to ignore Enju made this even more awkward and uncomfortable. "Why? Did she do something bad to you-...?" this was the limit to how much Enju could wait for.

Enju: "I'm sorry!" she suddenly bowed her head down as low as she could bend, which shocked the two standing beside her. Nozomi was not impressed though, as she continued to ignore her. "I'm sorry that I did what I did! I just…..thought it wouldn't be fair if we abandoned Riko-chan like that…." she tried to apologize in the most honest way she could think of, knowing that her friend harbored a lot of hate towards her.

Nozomi wasn't going to accept her regret, though. In fact, she had no intention of showing any more kindness to the girl in front of her.

Nozomi: "Please….don't talk to me!" the girl almost whispered between gritted teeth, feeling very angry even at Enju's mere presence. Clearly her bowing her head to her didn't mean anything to Nozomi who was unfazed by the gesture, despite the incredibly painful posture that Enju was in. "I don't want to see you ever again! And neither does anyone else at this table! So go eat with these two by yourself! I'm sure you've got some interesting stories to tell them now after our little…..incident!" with each word, Enju's heart felt like it was sinking deeper and deeper into her chest, like a rock slowly sinking to the bottom of a lake.

Enju: "No, I don't wanna!" this was the second time she defied Nozomi's clear orders, something which the latter wasn't very happy about. In fact, Nozomi was extremely displeased with this, so much so that she was losing her patience with her. "I know I messed up! But….I really did want to get out of here, just like you did! I also wanted to meet mama-..."

Nozomi: "DON'T SAY IT!" suddenly, like a bomb going off in the middle of a quiet forest, the girl exploded with so much noise and impact that the other girls around their table looked back, having their attention caught by that instantaneous outburst. "YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO SAY THAT AFTER WHAT YOU DID! YOU NOT ONLY ABANDONED YOUR OWN MOTHER, YOU'VE ALSO FORSAKEN OUR OWN CHANCES OF MEETING OUR OWN ONES! IF ANYTHING, YOU'RE THE ONLY REASON ANY OF US ARE STILL HERE, AND PROBABLY WILL REMAIN HERE FOREVER NOW!" that was a bit of an exaggeration obviously, since at no point back then had any of them had a guarantee that they were actually gonna escape successfully. Even if Enju had never interfered with their plans and quietly followed them through that air vent while leaving Riko behind, they still probably wouldn't have escaped. They would have probably ended up roaming around aimlessly for a good couple of hours before getting caught anyway, since they had no real navigation aides at all to guide them to an exit. Still, apparently Nozomi was hellbent on believing that Enju was the one at fault for everything now. She was quite unreasonable.

Enju: "But I….uh….I" she felt like she was on the verge of crying. Never before had anyone been so angry at her in the past, or at least, nobody so important to her. She always considered Nozomi to be a friend to her, or at least more than a regular roommate like Hiyori or Fuka. So to hear such anger come from her and directed towards herself was painful. She didn't even know how to defend herself now.

Nozomi: "Honestly, I hope you never see your mother! In fact, I really hope you'll be the last one here to ever see her in real life!" that was a bit too much, even Fuka and Hiyori had to admit, and they didn't even know the context of that conversation and, as such, they were naturally impartial.

Enju finally began crying, feeling like she couldn't take it anymore. She felt miserable, being publicly humiliated in such a way in front of everyone else. She couldn't understand how things could turn up so badly for her. She just wanted to help someone who was clearly in need, so why was she being punished so heavily for that?

Trembling and sobbing profusely, she backed away truly shaken by that outburst, feeling like she was ready to run away at any second at that point. When seeing how much she was suffering, she stopped caring about what Nozomi personally felt about the situation and tried to respond with her own anger.

Enju: "That's not fair! You were being cruel to Riko-chan! If I didn't do that, she would have been-..."

Nozomi: "I DON'T CARE!" the other girl responded again with a particularly unpleasant blowup of vengeful fury. "I DON'T CARE ABOUT ANY OF THAT! All I wanted was to see mommy! Do you have any idea how hard it is to dream about your mother being there with you, holding you, kissing you goodnight like in those fairy tales we keep hearing, only to wake up to this cruel world every morning?!" there was no stopping her, since she clearly wasn't going to calm down by herself. Still, now she was triggered. She felt that so much hate built up inside of her that she finally broke and decided to get her revenge then and there on Enju.

Nozomi: "You don't, do you? Because, if you did, you wouldn't have stopped us! If you really cared about her, you wouldn't have given any crap about anything else other than doing whatever was necessary to meet her! And yet, you not only decided to abandon all of that, but forced all of us back into submission, just because you were too scared to face the consequences of your own decision alone!" everything she said felt right. In fact, Enju knew she was right. She couldn't agree more with her. It was because she was right that her words were so painful to hear, after all.

Nozomi: "Grab her!" suddenly, she yelled that. The other girls sitting next to her, rose from their seats and suddenly surrounded Enju, before she even got the chance to respond. They grabbed her by her arms, preventing her from running away.

Enju: "Let go! I'm sorry! I'm really sorry, OK?!" she tried running but couldn't since the others were holding her tightly.

Hiyori: "Nozomi-chan, you're being too cruel!" she commented very concerned when she saw how the girls who had been spectators until then, suddenly grouped against Enju. "You're taking this too far!" she tried to defend before Nozomi shot her down with a cold glare.

Nozomi: "Stay out of this, Hiyori! You don't know anything about this, do you?" that was a valid point. She knew she had no right to interfere, especially since she wasn't that great of a friend to Enju and she also didn't even know the reason for this intense hatred between the two. She didn't have that much of a reason to defend her.

Hiyori: "Demo…." she tried to think up a reply but couldn't find any.

Nozomi: "She deserves this!" she then walked past Hiyori and Fuka and approached Enju who was still crying and struggling to get free. "You didn't betray just us, Enju!" once she was literally in front of Enju, she pushed her hand in Enju's pajamas' front pocket, only to pull out the photo of her mother that she kept in there.

Enju: "NO! GIVE THAT BACK! LEAVE MOMMY ALONE!" she tried struggling even more, although it was still pointless. Fear was evident in her eyes, although this didn't impress Nozomi either.

Nozomi: "Who you betrayed the most, was her!" she said pointing with her other hand at the picture between her fingers now. "And you don't deserve her anymore!" and then she simply grabbed the photo between her two hands and ripped it in half, in front of Enju's terrified eyes.

It was then when time seemed to stop for the poor redhead, when everything seemed to happen in slow motion to her brain. Her mother…..was broken…..viciously by Nozomi. She wished that was a nightmare. She prayed deep within herself that maybe that was indeed just one sad, truly horrifying dream that she would eventually wake up from. And yet…..it felt all too real.

So real that it was unmistakably true. Everything that was happening was ultimately and undeniably the reality.

The first couple of seconds, she didn't say anything after seeing that photo torn. She just stood there, tears still flowing heavily on her cheeks, her face slowly becoming as red as her hair (to some extent), and remaining silent. She didn't say anything. She just stood there motionless, releasing any tension in her muscles, stopping her struggle entirely.

The other girls who were holding onto her looked at each other concerned, feeling how she wasn't pulling away from them anymore. That worried them when they felt no more resistance.

Enju's body went limp and lifeless as soon as Nozomi did what she did. She didn't yell, she didn't jerk, she merely sobbed every so often, while feeling a great pain in her chest.

Nozomi: "You don't deserve her!" she stated before cruelly allowing the two halves fall onto the ground next to her. "Let her go!" and with that, the two holding the poor child let her loose. Her now unrestrained body fell onto the ground like a plank of wood, without even a reaction from the impact. Then, after a couple of seconds, she crawled on the ground towards Nozomi, grabbing the two halves of the picture at her feet and pulling them to her chest, holding onto them like they would disappear the moment she would drop them. She didn't lift her head off the ground. All that time, she kept her face glued to the floor, without even glancing back up.

Nozomi huffed indignantly, before starting to walk away slowly, motioning with her hands for the others to follow her. She had enough. The little satisfaction she felt when doing that to Enju definitely felt too meager to please her. It all felt pointless to her now.

Soldier: "And where do you think you're going?" came a loud adult male voice from the entrance to the room. It was a soldier, one who, by the look on his face, had witnessed that entire ordeal.

Nozomi: " _Oh fucking great….I went overboard!_ " she was screwed. She knew from the very beginning that soldiers there tended to carelessly watch from the sides whenever quarrels like that happened in that facility, only to intervene at the end when everything seemed to wrap up. It was good practice for them since they didn't need to prove anything afterwards to the management for inflicting physical punishments on the girls who disturbed the peace there since the entire thing would be passively recorded by the surveillance cameras, so all they had to do when all things were done was merely intercept the perpetrators and beat them mercilessly, now that those actions were justified.

And they also did it because many of them usually saw some sick twisted entertainment out of spectating peacefully from the sides, and enjoying the violence that would escalate there because of their tolerance. Sometimes it just felt good watching other people fight with each other, especially children who would humiliate themselves.

The man then approached Nozomi who was cursing under her breath for having lost her temper earlier.

Soldier: "Have anything to say for yourself?" he asked while pulling a baton from his holster, ready to smack the crap out of her.

Nozomi: "Go ahead! I'm ready! I know that's what you wa-…." but she didn't get the satisfaction of ending that phrase as the back of her head was hit hard by a flying plate that made her fall down unconscious. The dishware fell onto the ground with a deep crack on its surface, a clear remnant of that intense impact with the unfortunate girl's skull.

The soldier lifted his eyes, only to see Enju from the distance, stretching her arm a bit, clearly after having thrown that thing. She had a very mad look on her face, a look of merciless hostility.

Soldier: "Stand down! You're both under arrest for-..." but he was ignored as Enju sprinted very quickly towards him, like a savage animal jumping at its prey. The man, suddenly seeing the fury in her, immediately backed away before trying to reach for the taser, realizing that he may have allowed the situation to escalate a bit too much and now things were out of his control. However, he soon came to realize that it wasn't him that Enju was targeting, it was Nozomi. The girl grabbed her almost unconscious opponent from the ground and began beating at her wildly, with the look of a murderer on her face. She began hitting Nozomi's head with so much determination and hate that she didn't care how much her knuckles were hurting from the incessant punching. She kept hitting and abusing the other girl's face like there was no tomorrow.

The man, sitting next to her, realized that this was just her way of getting her revenge for what she had underwent earlier, so he calmed down a bit before pushing the taser back in his holster. He then pulled out his baton again and, to finally end that charade, seeing how Enju wasn't the least bit interested in following his orders, he lifted it above her head while she was ignoring him and hit her head with his weapon. The child went out only after a single hit.

~Four hours later, restricted area~

Enju: "I'm sorry! I'm really really sorry!" the girl desperately cried in pure panic, trying to pull out of the man's grasp one more time in a futile attempt to break free from his hold. The soldier, obviously, didn't allow her to escape and it wasn't like a seven year old could beat in a strength game well trained military personnel. "I didn't mean to do it! I promise I'll be good from now on! I really do!" she wasn't crying anymore, although she was on the verge of it. Her face betrayed unadulterated terror, the type of face a child makes when they hear that they have to get a shot from a doctor. However, where she was being dragged to by the soldier was no medical office at all, it was far worse than that.

Soldier: "I know you're sorry. But we want a little bit more than just that" the man had a small, almost sadistic smile on his face, as he walked forward with the girl being forced to join him. "We want to be sure that you'll be so sorry that you'll never repeat what you did today" she really messed up now.

After being taken to Naoto's office by the other soldier from the cafeteria and after informing him of what she had done and the degree to which she had injured Nozomi, the man's reaction was more intense than she could ever expect. It was clear, by that point, that he was fed up with all the chaos running around in his facility; first the break out attempt and now this. 'I really trusted you, Enju. I really thought you were a good girl' was his exact words back then. 'That was one of the reasons why I refrained from giving you girls any real punishments. And yet you betrayed that trust not once, but twice now….' and after that, with a bit of disappointment behind his voice, he grudgingly gave out the order: have Enju be sent into solitary confinement into The Room for twenty four hours.

That was, by all accounts, that facility's worst punishment, one that was reserved only for recidivists or specimens who truly didn't care at all about regulations and who managed to get, at some point, on Naoto's really bad side. And all of the girls who had underwent that punishment were never the same since.

In fact, only one girl had ever been known, to that point, to receive two Room confinements, in the history of that facility…..and after ending the second session in it, she had lost her ability to speak properly. She would always stutter when talking in dark rooms since then, almost like having a minor nervous breakdown whenever she would enter improperly lit areas.

Enju: "I said I was sorry! I even promised I would never do that again! Please! I don't wa-..." but her incessant begging only served to annoy the one dragging her all the more.

They eventually reached one of the public bathrooms there. The soldier then turned to glare at her.

Soldier: "Did you take care of the things I told you about?" he asked with a very menacing voice. Enju blushed slightly at that while averting her eyes from his.

Enju: "N-no….I didn't. I didn't feel like going…." that response was not what he wanted to hear.

Soldier: "Let me be very clear here: this bathroom right here is your last chance to have a toilet. Once we seal you into that room, you won't have access to a toilet at all! And if we'll find a pool of urine or crap on the floor when we open the doors tomorrow, we'll beat you to death!" he said that with such cold emptiness in his voice, with such emotional disconnection, that she truly believed, almost instinctually, that everything he said was true. The girl couldn't stand it, her heart was about to explode in her chest because of the stress.

She tried to put her hand over it and began to breathe slowly to calm down and recollect herself, otherwise she would surely lose her mind then and there.

Enju: "Yes, sir!" she said lowly before advancing into the bathroom and doing as she had been instructed. She took care of all her physiological necessities, washed her hands at the sink and then exited back outside with a very depressed, almost lifeless look on her face. It was the look of someone who had given up on all hope, someone who just realized that there was no way they could get out of that. It was that particular look that all the soldiers there enjoyed the most: the look of submission.

Soldier: "Come with me, now!" the man ordered, still maintaining his very stoic persona. They then began to continue walking down that corridor, with a slow pace. The walk felt like it lasted forever for the child. She kept on trudging along, feeling her heart sink into her stomach a bit more with each step she took. She was trembling a bit.

Her imagination was tormenting her poor little mind, while her heart beats were racing at such a speed that it felt like her chest would burst open. The stress was great.

Soldier: "We're here!" eventually the man replied in a monotonous voice. They stopped just at the entrance to what seemed to be a big chamber on the side of the hallway.

The room they were facing was not as impressive as Enju had expected it to be: it didn't have chains and torture devices in it, it lacked any skulls or any over-the-top decoration that her imagination envisioned, nor was it in any way hellish or even scary. It was just a dark room at the end of a hallway. Granted, what was inside that room remained a mystery since the lack of light inside made it almost impossible to see its contents.

All she could see inside….was darkness.

Enju: "You're…..going to beat me in there?" she asked very scared, still trying to not have a heart attack on the spot.

Soldier: "No…..nobody's going to beat you. In fact, that room is empty, and you'll be the only one in it for the duration of your punishment!" what an odd thing to hear from the man. Enju raised her eyebrow in curiosity.

Enju: "So….you'll leave me alone in there?" she asked a bit confused, not really getting where the punishment part was from all of that. To her, it simply sounded like all she had to do was just stand in a room all by herself.

Soldier: " _(smirking a mischievous smile)_ Yes, your punishment will basically consist of you just sitting quietly in that room for twenty four consecutive hours. You won't be fed, spoken to, or even visited at all throughout this entire time by anyone" something was off, she could sense it. Clearly something was missing there, considering that this was the infamous Room that so many of the girls there talked about….the same punishment that left many with nightmares for months on end.

So to hear that all she had to do was just wait in a room for her sentence to pass felt….unusually forgiving. Surely, something more sinister had to be attached to it, right?

Enju's gut feeling was warning her, though, that this was not gonna be as easy as she was expecting it to be.

She squinted her eyes, doing her best to focus on what was inside there, although it was useless, as not even a ray of light could be found in that room.

The guard then moved his hand to touch Enju's back, before giving her a slight nudge, an indication that she should enter that room now without him. The girl listened to her instincts though and didn't proceed just yet.

Enju: "Where's the light switch? Aren't you gonna open the lights before I go inside?" she asked what was a fairly normal question, oblivious to what was going to happen to her.

Soldier: "There is no light switch. In fact, there aren't any light bulbs at all in there! You'll have to stand in there in the dark!" it was then when the girl realized it: this was going to be way scarier than she had originally anticipated.

The man, becoming impatient, gave her another nudge, which only made her even more reluctant now.

Enju: "I….don't wanna. It looks scary!" her small brain finally decided exactly why that punishment was so horrific. She couldn't explain to herself why she felt so much dread when looking inside, she just instinctively felt that going in there would be bad for her. Sadly, though, she didn't exactly have the right to say 'no'. "Please, don't make me go in there! I'll be good from now on, I promise! I'll apologize to Nozomi-chan, I'll even eat all my vegetables this time!" she began to cry for sympathy, although that didn't impress the man next to her in the least.

Soldier: " _Why are they all so pitiful when they come here? And yet when they disobey they're always very confident and proud_ " he had it with that child. He grabbed her by the shoulders and began to push her inside.

Enju: "NOO! PLEASE! I DON'T WANNA!" she struggled fruitlessly as the man easily overpowered her with raw strength, lifted her body off the ground, and literally tossed her inside, effectively throwing her on the floor in the middle of the chamber.

Soldier: "Think of this as a vacation! See you tomorrow, 328!" and with that he pressed a couple of buttons on the panel at the entrance of the room. The door immediately shut closed and a metallic click was heard, signifying that the electric lock activated.

Enju: "NO! DON'T LEAVE ME HERE! PLEASE!" she ran back to where she thought the door was. The most frightening thing with respect to that entire ordeal was that she couldn't see the door anymore since it was sealed shut so tightly that she couldn't even see the light from the corridor outside pass through any hole at all.

Now she was engulfed in complete darkness.

Enju: "PLEASE! LET ME OUT!" she began to violently bang her fists against it. Even the sounds of her hitting it were barely audible since it was made of reinforced steel that didn't produce as much noise as she expected when hit.

There was no response from the other side, although given how thick that door was, the girl doubted she could have heard anyone from outside even if they yelled.

She began crying, scared, acknowledging how truly sad and cruel her predicament was now. Tears started flowing down her cheeks a second time that day, before she started yelling in desperation at the door in front of her, hoping that it would take pity on her and open. The only problem for her was that it didn't.

Enju, feeling her heart start to beat insanely quickly and feeling a sudden ringing in her head because of her unhealthy blood pressure, finally collapsed onto the floor, in a fetal position, grabbing her legs with her arms and hugging them tightly.

Enju: "Mommy, please….please mommy…...help me! Wherever you are….please help me!" but her calls for help fell on no one. She gently pushed her hand into her frontal pajama pocket to retrieve the two halves of her mother's picture.

She couldn't see the image ingrained on that plastic since there was literally no light in there, but she remembered her mother's face. She remembered how that picture looked like and despite it being torn, she pulled it to her face, to have the pieces touch her cheek, almost like the image would begin to speak by itself and whisper in her ears. She didn't really need anyone to help her break out of her cell, all she needed was for someone….anyone really, to whisper words of comfort in her ears, to reassure her that everything would be alright and that she'll be able to survive that. She needed her mother to be there and give her peace of mind.

However, the pieces didn't respond to her cries. The texture of the plastic didn't soothe the girl's raging panic. She really wanted to have her mother there and calm her.

It was then when she realized what Nozomi had meant: a mother is worth caring for more than any other thing.

~A couple of hours later~

Enju: "Where….is everybody?" the girl's perception of time was awfully skewed. Having nothing to do and nothing to distract herself with, no one to hold any conversations with and no audio books to listen to, the only thing she could do was just obsess over her own situation, embracing the misery she was in and quietly trying to patiently wait for the arrival of her tormentors to open the door and announce the end of this entire inhumane treatment.

And yet, in reality, only four hours have passed. To her, it felt way longer since she didn't do anything else there but wait and that made her feel like it was about time for her to be released already. She even went to sleep at one point, only to wake back up and find herself on the same spot on that metallic floor.

The floor was cold and unwelcoming, although it was the closest she had for a bed. No furniture was in that room, or that's what she could tell after a very brief walk around and feeling around with her hands. The room felt devoid of any objects…..not even a bed to lie on.

She only had the floor to sleep on.

Enju: "I'm…..thirsty" her lips were dry, cracking already from all the screaming she did before. She wanted a glass of water to calm down, if only she had one.

She tried rising back into a vertical walking position, so that she could start to feel around the room again. Maybe her exploration this time would get lucky and allow her to find a sink to drink from.

It was awfully unlikely considering how she had already did a pretty thorough check before. Still, a child could only hope for a different outcome in those situations.

It was incredible. She had never before seen such a depressing room, one in which regardless in which direction you would look, you wouldn't find even a speck of light anywhere. She couldn't even see her own hands, not even when they were literally a couple of centimeters from her eyes. It was clear that that room was specifically designed in such a way as to not allow for anything, literally anything to escape inside or out.

She hadn't heard any sounds while in there either, apart from the very few ones generated by her own movements and interactions with the walls and floor. It was like she was in a different world already, governed by entirely different sets of rules and laws of physics. That room was like a reality bubble detached in its own pocket of existence from the Universe she knew of.

She placed her palm on the wall she had walked to, then she began to follow this wall in a random direction, dragging her hand along to not lose track of the path. Even the metallic texture of that wall felt so dull and perfect, without any abnormalities or bumps in it at all, intentionally crafted that way only to drive whomever was in that room even more insane.

She walked around trying to see if she could find something, anything really, with her hand. The wall didn't seem to indicate that there was anything on it though.

The girl sighed to herself, still not losing whatever shred of hope she had in herself. She needed to find something….otherwise she would go insane. She kept on walking, still fighting with her pessimism and trying to build some hope for herself.

Suddenly, she felt something: the wall was becoming a bit warmer. Just when she thought that she might find something, she sensed a very slight, almost minuscule shift to a warmer temperature on that side she was touching. Finally happy that she was making progress, she began to run, trying to find the source of this warmth.

Enju: " _How come I never felt this before when I checked the room out?!_ " she asked herself, before discarding those seemingly meaningless thoughts and accelerating even further. Finally she was making progress. She ran a bit before suddenly not feeling any more warmth, and observing a sudden drop in temperature. Now the wall was as cold as it had always been.

The girl backtracked quickly to find the warmth again, only this time it disappeared.

Enju: "NO! DON'T GO AWAY! COME BACK!" she yelled in frustration, trying to feel around for that vague source of radiant tactile bliss that she so desperately needed.

Sadly for her, it didn't return and now she was trying to find it again in the same spots on the wall that she could have sworn she had already visited, yet were now as cold as they had always been, without any notification of a change. "WHERE IS IT?!" she cried out before suddenly hearing a growl that froze her blood in her veins.

Enju: "H-hello?" she asked, almost having a heart attack. She had heard a growl immediately after yelling, hadn't she? It wasn't her mind playing tricks on her, was it? "Is…..anybody there?" she almost whispered in fear, although not receiving any answers.

The girl began trembling. Was there something in that room with her? What was it? She obviously couldn't see it because of the darkness.

Suddenly she felt insurmountable amounts of dread engulf her yet again, although this time it was because she felt a presence in the room with her now….an evil presenve. This one came from a specific direction: from behind her.

She immediately turned around in a sudden spin, focusing her eyes as intently as she could to see anything although that didn't really work. She didn't make out anything visually, although she felt her stomach beginning to turn when looking in that specific direction: at one of the four corners of the room where she had come from. The corner suddenly began to emanate what seemed to be like warm air, with the same warmth as the wall before.

That couldn't be a coincidence, could it?

Enju: "P….please leave me alone! I don't want to hurt you!" she timidly said, feeling like she was losing her mind now. Even her eyelids were trembling now since her eyes were shaking just as much as her body…..probably. Or wait….were they? Was she shaking?

Maybe…..or maybe she was imagining it? Maybe all of this was an illusion?

Corner of the room: " _(roar)_ " suddenly even more sounds came from the corner. The girl realized that something was probably in there with her. She lost, at that point, control of her bladder as she turned around again to run in the opposite direction, away from whatever that thing was. The warm feeling of her urine dripping through the legs of her pajamas was a holy feeling at that point, since it reminded her brain how it felt to...well…..feel again. She began screaming from the top of her lungs, desperately trying to remember where the door was.

She threw her body at a section of another wall, believing that was where the door was, and began banging her fists into it again.

Enju: "HELP! THERE'S A MONSTER IN HERE WITH ME! HELP ME! PLEASE! IT'S GOING TO EAT ME! IT'S-"…..

~Next day~

Two guards were walking down the hallway towards Enju's cell, one of which was the same guard as before that had guided Enju to her chamber the previous day.

Soldier 1: "So…..just to be sure I understand this: the reason we use this roundabout way of punishing the girls is because of UN regulations?" one of the two began speaking, with a confused look on his face. Clearly he was a rookie and still learning how the more experienced soldiers there did their jobs. "There are still countries which give a shit about any of that even after the Great Gastrea War?!" he asked a bit in disbelief.

Soldier 2: " _(sighes)_ Basically, yes, that's the reason. IISO is fundamentally an international joint movement to find ways to repress the Gastrea invasion. Because of its international roots, it still harbors the same humanitarian idealism that the former union had before its member states went into disarray because of the war. Despite IISO allowing for some leeway with respect to how each country handles its Promoter-Initiator systems, they did the bare minimum by forbidding any facility from going too far in abusing its training Initiators. And one of the prohibitions was to prevent us from torturing the girls" he explained a bit bored, feeling very disappointed how he became more of a mentor for this fellow. It annoyed him since he obviously didn't feel any incentive to train him and explain all of this basic stuff.

Soldier 1: "Aha. And, because we can't torture the specimens, we end up locking them in solitary confinement for a couple of hours? How is that a punishment, anyway? It sounds just like giving a naughty kid timeout! I don't really see why you consider this to be an effective punishment!" he persisted with his questioning, much to the latter's clear dislike.

Soldier 2: "It's not just solitary confinement. The chambers themselves are specifically designed to provide a form of…..sensory deprivation, let's say" they finally arrived to the girl's cell. The older man began typing at the same panel he had typed the day before when he closed the young girl inside.

Soldier 1: "Sensory deprivation?" he raised his eyebrows, still not getting it. "And how exactly is that bad? I heard rich people used to employ that to relax in their spare time, before the war became a thing. I really don't see how this works" still seeing how he wasn't getting it, his more experienced companion had to elaborate even more.

Soldier 2: "Yes, it was used for recreational purposes in the past. However, when forcing people into it and, especially when doing it for extensive periods of time, say….an entire day, humans tend to experience hallucinations" that was a surprising fact to hear. "When exposed to prolonged visual, auditory, olfactory and gustatory deprivation, as we do with these chambers, humans tend to lose the cognitive distinction between thoughts and reality. Since there's no input to the brain to distinguish between what it perceives from the outside of the body and what it internally generates like thoughts, ideas and emotions, the neuronal signals begin to overlap and the mind loses track of what's outside and what's inside. Consequently, they start to perceive things that are in fact the byproduct of their emotions. The more intense the emotions, the more chaotic and palpable the hallucinations become. And when that gets coupled with a child's imagination…..these live surreal daydreams usually turn into living nightmares" finally the code was entered and the door to Enju's room finally opened. The two then looked inside to see any signs of anything that could still be alive.

The older soldier pulled out a flashlight and then began to enter the chamber slowly, only to find the girl deep within the room, lying on the floor motionless, almost like a corpse.

Soldier 1: "What's wrong with her? Is she….sleeping?" he asked with some panic in his voice, feeling very fidgety because he was now considering the possibility that that girl might have actually died. His partner, though, wasn't as worried as him since he had experience with these types of things and had been through that exact situation many more times in the past.

Soldier 2: "No….she's not" the other man reassured him calmly making his way inside and approaching the lying motionless girl. Despite all of this overflow of new sensory input, the girl still didn't seem to react to him approaching her, almost as if he wasn't even there. "Take a good look: this is what always happens to all the Cursed Children who spend a day in here. They eventually lose even spacial awareness of their surroundings" he then proceeded to grab the girl by the shoulders and pulled her in a vertical straight position. She didn't respond now either.

Soldier 1 : "You sure she isn't sleeping?" that was a ridiculous thing to ask. Clearly his partner didn't know exactly how any of these things worked. Then again, given his inexperience, that was obvious. To prove his point, his partner then moved his hand on her skull and then pulled her right eye's eyelid wide open, before flashing his flashlight on it. The pupil was extremely dilated, mainly because of the darkness that she had been in in there. When flashing the light into it, though, the pupil didn't contract at all, as it normally should have in response to that intense input.

Soldier 2: "See? It's not responding to my flashlight! Is this proof enough for you?" knowing that that was more of a natural response to a stimulus, it felt only natural to conclude that this was indeed an involuntary effect, not just her playing games on them to fool them. And since the eye was open like that and shaken, it clearly wasn't her just sleeping either.

Soldier 1: "Wow…..that's creepy as hell!" he commented a bit scared when approaching the girl a little to see the experiment a bit more. When getting a bit closer, his nostrils were immediately assaulted by a rather strong odor surrounding the poor girl. "Jesus, what's that smell?! Did she…..pee herself?" he asked what should have been an obvious question. His partner smirked at that.

Soldier 2: "Yes….they all do. Ironically, it's the ones who aren't afraid of the dark that get the most traumatized when being locked in here" he commented before removing the flashlight from her face to prevent damaging her retina. "They all piss themselves at some point because of their lucid nightmares, despite us forcing them to go to the toilet before. Once, there was this one girl who even crapped herself in here. By the time we came to retrieve her the next day, some of the feces got into her vagina and caused a yeast infection. For the next couple of weeks, everyone, even her friends, avoided the bitch because of the horrid smell that came from her genitals" he then let out a chuckle, feeling amused at that memory. "Good times…." he commented nonchalantly before suddenly raising his other hand and slapping the girl so hard that she fell back on the ground, half her face red from the impact and with an intense ringing in her left ear.

Finally, after receiving such a powerful shock, her brain finally released adrenaline in her bloodstream which forced her to snap out of her unconscious state. Her mind went into overdrive after that forceful awakening.

Soldier 2: "Good morning, kid! Time to get back into your cell. Your time here is up!" he greeted her. The girl's pupils began contracting again, normally. She pulled herself back up and stared at the man with a completely bewildered expression on her face. She looked…..confused, almost like she was staring at a complete stranger, despite having seen that same man the day before.

She didn't even respond to him, she just stared at him like he was one giant teddy bear that suddenly grew mushrooms on its surface. Her look on her face betrayed her state of disarray.

Soldier 1: "What's up with her? She looks…..lost" he remarked the obvious. Truthfully, this was also the very first time his partner had seen anything like that too.

Soldier 2: "Hey…..I'm talking to you!" to extended his left arm to grab her by the head, to see if he could force some sense into her. The girl, instinctively, moved her head to avoid getting captured again and, in just a couple of seconds, she charged at the man with an entirely new emotion on her face: that of complete rage.

She immediately came into close quarters to that soldier, surprising him due to her speed. She had the look of a wild animal on herself: with pure unadulterated feral ferocity on her face. It didn't even look like one would call anger, just cruel and soulless thirst for blood and mutilation.

She then immediately extended her left leg and smashed her foot into the guard's abdomen, sending him into the opposite wall, almost like he had been propelled by a human canonball. That was clearly beyond the mere strength that any girl her age would possess, which alerted the other guard.

Soldier 1: "WHAT THE HELL?! SHE ACTIVATED HER POWERS ALREADY?!" the other soldier dashed outside the room. He made a very jarring U-turn as soon as he got outside, trying to access the control panel for the door of that chamber, to command it to close and lock again, to keep the beast inside. However, in his frantic typing and because of his inexperience, he messed up very easily and was taking too long to make the mechanism respond.

Before he could finish with his plans, the girl bolted outside and smashed her other foot against him as well, breaking a couple of his ribs and sending him flying across the hallway.

The creature then began running through that same hallway, gaining speed and beginning to sprint in various directions, at random.

This, obviously, with all the security cameras in there, didn't go unnoticed and a facility-wide alarm began again, with all the soldiers being ordered to intercept her.

She didn't really have a plan in mind, nor a real intention even of escaping. In fact, she wasn't even thinking rationally at that point anymore.

She was, at that moment in time, the equivalent of an animal who had been very badly beaten for an extended period of time. Her brain wasn't thinking properly anymore like it should have. All of her actions were now being governed by instincts, an amalgam of very strong seemingly unrelated impulses driving her body without any reason or sense of intelligence or planning. She was, at that very moment, a wounded feral creature running randomly in a primitive attempt at self defense.

When she approached a junction of two corridors intersecting, she noticed how from both sides, big groups of armed personnel came and were both running towards her.

The girl, immediately turned around and began running back where she came from, only to quickly notice how other men were arriving from behind her as well.

She then charged at this new, smaller group, in hopes of getting past them. She assaulted them wildly by lunging at them. The men attempted to hit her with their batons, only to have her evade incredibly easily. She tripped one of them and then jumped at another, smashing her head into his mouth and causing him to fall backwards and hit his head against the wall behind.

Soldier: "DAMN YOU, YOU MONSTER!" he also tried to tackle her into the ground by embracing her from behind and forcing her into a hug to prevent her from using her arms. The girl responded by allowing him to hold her in the air because of his grip on her torso and placed her legs onto the wall in front of her, contorting her body a little. Then, she used her enhanced strength in her legs to propel herself into him by pushing her legs against the wall as much as possible, effectively smashing her head into his skull as well, causing him to let go and fall down.

Finally, someone from the first group that was still trying to catch up, arrived and shot a net at her, which landed and immediately zapped her with electricity, incapacitating her.

The girl still didn't go down without a fight, and kept on moving like a wolf which got its leg caught in a trap, flailing around violently to escape and also hurt anyone who would get close to it in the meantime. All the soldiers immediately ganged up on her, some smashing their batons against her body while others began hitting her with their legs, each aiming at different parts.

Nobody stopped from hitting her as the girl roared in pain from their constant abuse. That torment continued, with each beating her as much as possible to ensure she would stay down. They kept on going even after she stopped making any sounds, maintaining that for another couple of minutes for insurance. By the end of it all, the girl was filled with bruises, unconscious and with a pool of blood leaking from her mouth because of a displaced tooth, as well as another which was on the verge of falling.

* * *

Author's note: The Room used here in this story was inspired by the same story point in the Batman Beyond (also known as Batman of the Future) cartoon, specifically from "The Last Resort" episode. As a side note, I highly recommend you watch the show. It's pretty well written.


	10. A glimpse into the past, part 3

Author's note: from this chapter forward, the rest of the "A glimpse into the past" series will be from Rentarō's point of view, for the most part. Enjoy!

freakishdust1: thank you, that was exactly the angle I was trying to go for with Enju. I'm glad you noticed that!

* * *

~Tokyo, Initiator training facility nr. 4, one year before current events~

The day was finally here. After long and painstaking training sessions, after a lot of studying and exams to prove his efforts and after many many scoldings from his childhood friend, Kisara Tendō, the boy was finally about to achieve his long sought goal of becoming a true Promoter.

It has been a long and unpleasant journey, to say the least, but, nevertheless, he managed to overcome all the obstacles in his way and persevere to the end. And he couldn't be any happier than that, at all.

Or so he thought anyway…..since now he was realizing how depressing reality still was despite his achievement.

Rentarō: " _This place….is not as cool as I imagined it would be_ " he noted mentally while scanning his surroundings visually to see if he could spot anything worthwhile.

The hallway he was being led through was very bland, just the regular pathway through a military building that everyone expects when visiting such a facility: metallic walls, floor and ceiling, nonexistent decorations, surveillance cameras every thirty meters hanging from the upper edge of the walls pointing downwards to record anyone passing by under them and the occasional locked doors that separated different segments of the hallways there and which were sealed with electric locks that were controlled by keypads next to them.

Rentarō: " _This is so cliche_ " and not only was everything unimaginative, it was also incredibly depressing for whatever reason. Maybe it was because of the bland metallic gray that was everywhere, maybe it was the artificial lighting that had some effect on him and his brain that was causing him to feel very drained of energy. Whatever the case, he's been feeling very anxious and uncomfortable since the moment he had walked through the entrance. Something about that place was bringing his mood down, more than counteracting against the happiness he had sported before arriving there generated by his very recent acquisition of his Promoter license from the IISO.

The guard that was guiding him through that hallway, being just as bored as him, decided to break the monotony and awkwardness between them a bit, since their journey was only halfway through. And there was nothing else the two of them could do but talk while walking.

Soldier: "You're new at this job, Satomi-san?" the older man initiated a seemingly unattractive conversation with him. Rentarō didn't know how to feel about that question. Did he do or say something stupid along the way which gave away his inexperience?

Rentarō: "Yes. This is my first time visiting such a location. Why?" he asked for feedback to see if that question had indeed been caused by some error he had done. The soldier chuckled, amused at how foolish the boy was for not realizing it.

Soldier: "It was a sarcastic question. I didn't really expect you to answer with anything else" that was an odd remark to receive. By the look on Rentarō's face, it was clear that he didn't get the hint, so the soldier continued. "This year is the year when the IISO formally announced the start of the distribution of Initiators to properly assigned Promoters around the world. Since the oldest generation of Initiators just barely became old enough to be considered actually effective in combat, you guys are also the first generation of Promoters to receive the honor of being paired. I assume you should have known this by now, seeing how you passed the written exams for your license" of course he knew that already, he just wasn't prepared for that kind of trick question to be directed at him then.

The boy scolded himself for not realizing this but didn't answer him at all. He just remained silent and didn't continue that thread of conversation so that the soldier would drop it.

Soldier: "I'm still not totally convinced that this is going to work, to be entirely honest but hey, I guess that even this is a better solution than that New Human Creation Plan that some sick people came up with some time ago. If nothing else, at least the ones suffering now aren't humans, just specimens" Rentarō frowned at that comment, for two reasons: one, the fact that this New Human Creation Plan was what actually had saved his life in the past, but also that this person, who clearly had a job in that building and had a lot of contact with the children there, was referring to them coldly as mere 'specimens'. Alas, he again chose to remain silent and allow his partner in conversation to continue by himself.

Soldier: "Well, either way, I just hope I'm wrong and everything will turn out well. Just be careful out there, kid! I don't mean to judge your abilities, I'm sure you're very talented and well trained. I'm just saying that, given your age, you probably didn't get to see yet the darker side of a battlefield. And I do hope that you never will get that chance" this man really wasn't helping in lifting the boy's morale, especially given how that lifeless environment was literally sucking all the life out of him.

Rentarō: "Thanks….I'm sure I'll handle everything properly though" seeing how letting that man lead the discussion wasn't improving things at all, the boy decided to redirect their talk into a different topic in the hopes that maybe things will become less dreadful. "Anyways….about my Initiator….how exactly is she? I heard she's a Model Rabbit?" he approached.

Soldier: "Yes….specimen 328 is a Model Rabbit. Her abilities are mainly focused on jumping and kicking with her legs. She has incredible strength in them and should be able to bend even cars with a single kick" he began explaining mechanically almost. "I know you probably don't like that since Model Rabbits are among the most boring models when it comes to their powers. Still, they are practical on the battlefield, especially in direct close quarters combat. They have high stamina and can last long during physical fights, as well as enough energy to flee and even give you a ride on their backs too when you decide it's wisest to run away. Tests revealed that these models can carry a human triple their own weight and still reach around twenty kilometers per hour when running with him on their backs" that felt impressive, given how those Initiators were so much younger than him but, despite that, were also able to run at such high speeds.

Rentarō: "That sounds pretty nice but I'm not planning on running away from battles…." he tried to defend his dignity after being a bit humiliated by the previous trap question that he had failed to notice earlier.

Soldier: "No offense, Satomi-san, but a soldier who doesn't know when to retreat is little more than target practice for the enemy" and yet he still felt like he was being put down by this older man. Rentarō wasn't particularly happy about this.

Rentarō: "What was my Initiator's age again? Ten?" he again tried to change the subject to something a bit less humiliating.

Soldier: "Nine, although she'll turn ten in less than two months. Her birthday is on the 14th of April" the older male revealed, before turning his head towards Rentarō and noticing the boy's disinterested look on his face. "Uh, you might want to write that down so you won't forget it" that recommendation felt a bit pointless for the teenager.

Rentarō: "What's the point? Even if I'll forget her birthday I'm sure she's gonna remind me about it and nag me on and on until I buy her a gift. I might as well not bother to remember it" while Rentarō was a man who had pretty honest feelings and a good heart deep down, he was not a very romantic person, to say the least.

Seeing how he had grown up in the same household with his childhood friend, Kisara, he had suspected that all girls always anticipated their birthdays just so that they could be spoiled with attention and gifts, so to him, it only felt natural to assume the same thing for all young females.

The older man looked a bit concerned, though, realizing how clueless this boy truly was.

Soldier: "Satomi-san, I'm telling you this because you should be the one keeping track of her birthday….not just for yourself but to also remind your Initiator about it if you deem that important" that was a confusing line. "She obviously won't remember it by herself" the boy was perplexed by that.

Rentarō: "She….doesn't even know her own birthday?!" he was puzzled, obviously.

Soldier: "No….she doesn't. After all, she spent almost all of her life locked up in here. And nobody in this facility's management ever invested anything in organizing birthday parties for the specimens here. So, for most of them, their own birthdays are no more special than any other day of the year!" he clarified before finally stopping in front of a huge door at the end of the hallway, signaling their arrival at their destination.

Satomi simply stared at the door, not really sure what to say now. The day had finally come for him to meet his partner. The time had arrived for him to see the person whom he was going to entrust his life to.

The older man began typing at the keyboard really quickly to unlock the door. He entered all the necessary passwords and finally the automatic doors began to slide open slowly revealing the silhouette of a young girl.

Soldier: "Satomi Rentarō-san, I present to you your own Initiator: Enju Aihara!" he introduced with a less than grandiose intonation in his voice. The doors opened to reveal a redheaded child, of an ordinary stature for her age, bright red eyes and wearing a light blue dress, staring menacingly at the both of them, almost like on the verge of attacking them.

Her eyes were so focused and filled with anger that the boy gulped audibly when looking at her, as they were the very first thing that drew his attention.

To say that his first impression of her was a strong one would be an understatement. He literally felt a primordial fear exploding in him even when merely looking at her, the type one would feel when encountering a wild beast in the middle of a jungle. He hadn't felt that way since he had encountered that monster that had attacked him back when he was young, the same monster that shared the same disease that that specimen in front of him then had.

Rentarō: "That's…..my Initiator?" he was at a loss for words. He had always assumed that Initiators were much like regular orphan girls, waiting for an adoptive parent to take them to their new home. But that reality had quickly been smashed when actually encountering Enju for the first time.

Soldier: "Yes, Satomi-san. Are you ready to take her in?" what was even the point of asking that question, now that he had come that far? Clearly he couldn't back down at that point, especially after everything that he had accomplished. He had to fight, no matter what. Surely, a grown man like him wouldn't be intimidated by a nine year old girl, right?

The boy, drawing courage from within, approached the specimen in question, slowly walking towards her. Enju clearly tensed almost all of her muscles when sensing his motioning towards her, taking a step back and establishing a fighting posture, as if to signal him that she was ready to fight back if he had any ill intentions towards her.

The boy didn't stop, though, and began extending his arm in a show of cordiality, almost as if to indicate his desire for a hand shake. The girl, not understanding it though, took his kind request as an attempt at subduing her, since many of the guards there had used to grab her by the head to force her into submission in the past and the boy's own attempt looked eerily similar to that.

Trying to respond with aggression, she immediately hit his incoming hand with her fist, forcefully enough to deflect it and also send him a warning.

No words came from her, only a cold glare.

Rentarō: "What the….?" he was evidently perturbed by that, unsure on how to proceed.

Soldier: "Don't bother, Satomi-san! She won't understand any acts of kindness from your part" the man then intervened and smashed his fist against her head, making her fall onto the ground down. "This, right here, isn't a child, as you innocently seem to believe. And your role to society isn't that of a babysitter or a surrogate parent" the girl whimpered while on the floor, as she tried to get back up before being hit again by the man, throwing her off balance and onto the ground a second time. "No…..your job right now, is that of a handler, and from this point on, your duty will be to tame this animal right here!"

~One hour afterwards~

Rentarō Satomi and Enju Aihara were walking together on a sidewalk, approaching Tokyo's suburbia at a very slow walking pace. The girl was not at all conspicuously dressed, as she was wearing her usual perfectly clean light blue dress almost like a human sized doll, with a lifeless look in her eyes to match that state. All the anger she had had pent up in her had dissipated once she received that beating from the soldier and now she was docile, for the most part anyway.

She still avoided direct eye contact with her Promoter and, despite trying to be calm and obedient, still emanated an aura of hatred around herself which made the boy feel uncomfortable. Moreover, she was quiet, not even bothering to initiate any conversation with him at all, even though this was the very first time when the two met each other. Clearly she had no interest in getting to know him, which was obviously a problem for their relationship.

Rentarō was pulling on and walking to the side of his bike. Normally, to avoid any weird looks from the people passing by who would notice the unusual girl next to him, he would have allowed her to sit on the back of his bike while he would ride it, so that they would move way faster and reach their destination quicker, minimizing the time strangers had to notice them. At least, that had been his plan up until he actually presented Enju with that idea.

The girl nonchalantly revealed that she had never ridden a bike in her life and, even though she was merely meant to be a passenger, wouldn't know how to balance herself on it in such a way as to maintain an equilibrium and not make the bike fall on its side. Since she didn't know how to maintain a proper center of mass, Rentarō wisely decided to abandon that idea and instead of riding the bike, the two should leisurely just walk at their own pace while dragging the bike along.

However, this also implied that the two would have to spend more time on their trip to his house, as their speed was now obviously slower, which wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing since Rentarō hoped that this would allow them to get to know each other a bit better, although this was quickly also brought down when he noticed how silent the child was consistently.

Rentarō: " _How do you even start a conversation with a girl her age?_ " he pondered, halfway through their trip after realizing that the awkwardness between them was too heavy to bear. Having not been a prepubescent girl in his life, the teenager had no idea how to approach her in a way that would solicit her attention, especially given how little success he had had in the past with engaging women of his age as well.

Rentarō: "So….uh" he paused, trying to think up of a proper way to start a casual conversation. The girl didn't respond at all to his attempt. "Your name is Enju, right? Enju Aihara? That's a really cool name!" he tried to think up what he would have liked to hear when he had been her age.

The girl was not impressed though and simply ignored his comment, not even providing him with a common 'thanks' in return. That displeased him.

Rentarō: "How do you spell that in kanji? Is it similar to how you spell 'pearl'?" he added naively, trying to test the girl's knowledge of Japanese characters.

Enju, a bit puzzled by his question, looked up at him in a way that clearly suggested that she had no idea what he was even talking about.

Enju: "Kan…..ji?" she asked sheepishly, confusion boldly written on her face.

Rentarō froze a bit, realizing that she probably had never even heard of kanji before. Given her age, it was easy to assume that she should have, at the very least, received an entry level of exposure to that alphabet by that point in her life. The fact that she had never even heard of it was a bit worrying.

Rentarō: "Uh, never mind. Do you know how to spell it in hiragana, then?" this one should have been obvious. Hiragana is way easier than kanji and most children, even younger than her, master it with ease. Even foreigners having their first introduction to Japanese usually get the gist of hiragana in short periods of time.

Enju: "Hiragana?" despite his expectations, she merely repeated his word back to his face again, with even more uncertainty on her. This was becoming very troubling for her partner.

Rentarō: "You….didn't learn how to spell at all back there?" at that query, she at least knew how to answer.

Enju: "No" clear and concise, although not at all what he wanted to hear.

Rentarō: " _What_ … _.the hell?!_ " it was a mistake for him to assume that she had received the same level of education as he had gotten back when he had been nine. Clearly the girl wasn't even capable of reading, much less spelling words. " _And here I thought I could enroll her in a primary school..._ " to sneak a Cursed Child into the educational system was against the law, mainly because those 'specimens' were merely seen as weapons of using against Gastrea, and not as actual children that had a right to be educated. Consequently, nobody in the world would invest the money and other resources in even attempting it, Japan even going as far as outright banning them from entering the said system.

Even so, Rentarō had been planning on giving her the chance of becoming a pupil as any other kids of her age, in the hopes of allowing her to have a decent future. But now when he saw that she was incapable of even reading, he realized that this would be far more difficult than he had expected.

Other children of her age would already be in fourth grade and would have a fairly decent grasp on spelling, especially in hiragana. Since he obviously couldn't enroll a nine year old in first grade to get her to start with the basics, he would have to personally teach her all the concepts she should have known by her age just so that she could survive in school despite her academic handicaps. And that was something he obviously didn't want to do.

Rentarō: " _OK, let's try something else then._ Uh, how about math? Do you know how addition works?" again, a fairly simple subject that you would expect someone as old as her to be able to handle easily.

Enju: "No….I don't know what that is" again, he remained disappointed.

Rentarō: "Do you know how to count to ten?" he was lowering the bar further and further just to see how little she knew.

Enju: "Uh….no" so she probably didn't even know how old she will become at her next birthday.

Rentarō: "Do you even know what numbers are?" he was already losing all hope now.

The girl just shook her head at this point, showing how bored she was because of this conversation.

Rentarō: "Did you….learn anything back at that facility? Didn't they teach you anything at all?!" after having all of his expectations in her brutally smashed, he was now on the verge of simply screaming in despair. What did this child do all her life?

Enju: "We were thought how to fight Gastrea!" she replied, surprising him a bit.

Rentarō: "Huh….you mean they thought you martial arts?" obviously he had no idea what she was even talking about.

Enju: "Martial….arts?" and clearly she also had no idea what he was talking about either. There was an eerie lack of common ground in their communication and neither could easily grasp what the other was trying to say.

Enju: "No….they thought me how to use my powers. Like how to jump really high! And how to kick and repel!" so basically they had trained her in how to properly utilize her abilities as a Model Rabbit. At least they did that for him. "After all, my purpose is to fight Gastrea! That's all!" she repeated what she had been told countless times in the past by the people who had supervised her.

While them training her in how to be a combatant was a noble act, basically instilling a well defined sense of purpose inside of her, it also highlighted her limitations, since now all she saw in herself was a 'weapon to defeat Gastrea'. That was what she saw in herself and that was obviously dehumanizing in its own right, since it devalued her existence into that of a mere single-purpose tool. And she had been trained to not have any issues with that mentality, which was all the more depressing.

Rentarō: "I…..see" he was lost. He couldn't think of anything to say back to her. This was beyond what he could handle with any degree of confidence. Talking to this girl was like talking to an animal, the difference between their divergent understandings of the world was too great to allow for comfortable communication between them. And improper communication was obviously a very bad thing if they wanted to establish a relationship….particularly a relationship in which their lives would depend on each other, as that was what was expected of a Promoter-Initiator pairing. " _This is gonna be incredibly hard_ " he was not prepared for this. Despite having learned a lot to gain his Promoter license, he had not been taught at all on how to handle his own Initiator, so now he was at a loss.

Rentarō: "Do you….uh…..have a favorite color then?" his attempts at getting to know her have now just boiled down to 'ask whatever crap she could feasibly understand and hope for the best'.

Enju: "Color….?" again, she displayed the same amount of cluelessness as before.

Rentarō: " _I GIVE UP!_ "

~Half an hour later~

They finally arrived. After an excruciatingly long and anxiety-inducing trip to their destination, they finally concluded their walk at Enju's new and Rentarō's old home.

The boy locked his bicycle at its usual spot under a rain-protected roof and then he went on to use his keys to unlock the front door of the house.

Rentarō: " _Dammit, I still didn't get used to this feeling_ " he thought to himself as all the memories of his childhood flooded his conscience the moment he had swung the door open. He felt just as much a stranger to that house as Enju was, given the many years he had been absent from it. "Make yourself at home!" he invited the child.

She didn't know how to respond to that, given that this experience was entirely new to her. She simply stood still at the porch, looking worried, not even having the confidence to take a single step inside. After all, this was all foreign territory to her.

Seeing her lack of action, he continued.

Rentarō: "Aren't you going to come in?" he inquired, puzzled. The girl, bracing herself, took a deep breath before proceeding inside, as she had been instructed by her now officially assigned Promoter.

Enju: "I'm….home!" she comically exclaimed with such a great lack of energy and life in her declaration that it only came across as awkward and dishonest. The boy decided to ignore that.

They both removed their shoes at the entrance, before advancing further inside the building. It was then when Enju noticed it: the house was in a complete mess. Cardboard boxes were scattered around randomly across the majority of the rooms, some open and others not, with various items hanging out thoughtlessly from the ones that had been unsealed. Even more so, there were many boxes of food items from various cooking providers that had been ordered at some point in the past, hanging on the floor, many of them still having crumbs and pieces of edible material left over in them.

On the furniture there was so much dust and, in some places, almost uncountable amounts of cobwebs littering the majority of sharp corners inside the rooms.

It was like she had stepped in an abandoned building and, having come from a mostly sterile and ridiculously hygienically bleached environment, she was appalled by this sight. Never in her entire life had she ever seen such amounts of disorder and proofs of reckless unhealthy practices.

She could only stare with her mouth agape.

Rentarō: "Something wrong?" he innocently asked, without having even so much as an idea of why she was so shocked. Obviously he didn't exactly understand her, since he had not grown up in the same conditions as her. Moreover, having just very recently moved into his own house to live in by himself, he was not as willing to do any actual domestic chores and cleaning now that he was free to do as he pleased for the first time in his life. And, as a teenage boy, not having to clean up after himself was equivalent to not cleaning up ever.

Enju just contorted her face reflexively, in pure disgust. She didn't know what to say.

Enju: "Why….is there so much stuff all over the place?" was all she could muster out of her mouth in response to that sight.

Rentarō: "Ah…..don't worry about that! I moved in last month and still didn't get to organize all my stuff yet. Just ignore the boxes for now!" obviously he didn't even register the other pieces of concern, like the mountain of Chinese food boxes next to the sofa in front of the TV. "Anyways, I'm assuming you're hungry from all that walking. Wanna eat?" he felt like eating was now the only common ground for bonding with his Initiator. So, obviously, he wanted to raise this opportunity.

Enju: "But….it's not evening yet! Are we allowed to eat this early?" seeing how she was used to eating at scheduled hours only, in inflexible plannings, she was surprised to see this opportunity offered to her out of the blue.

Rentarō: "Yeah well….that won't be an issue from now on. As long as both of us are hungry, we can eat at any time!" he clarified, making the girl finally smile in happiness.

Enju: "Great! Where is the cafeteria?" in a way, Rentarō did see this coming from a mile away. At least he predicted that the girl would be used to her former lifestyle so it didn't surprise him to see her still think like she was still living in that training facility.

Rentarō: "There is no cafeteria. There's a kitchen that you can use if you want to make something for yourself. However, I'm gonna guess you don't know how to cook?" to that, he got another head shaking in response. "Thought so….In which case we can order food to be delivered to our house. Do you have a favorite food you like?" he tried to be as kind with her as possible, just so he could establish a form of trust from her that would allow him to build upon later. Buying her her favorite food would be a good starting point…..or so he naively thought.

Enju: "Uh….favorite food?" that was another odd concept for her. All her life she had eaten whatever was thrown at her in the cafeteria, with the chefs solely deciding what to cook each day on her behalf. It wasn't like she had ever been presented with a choice before. "Uhhhh…." she pondered. "I don't know….the soft stuff, I guess?" she remembered what was in fact mashed peas with light tomato sauce, an infrequent delicacy back at the facility.

However, obviously Rentarō wouldn't know what she meant by 'soft stuff'.

Rentarō: "I…..uhmm….I don't know what that is" seeing how this conversation would probably take a good couple of hours for him to decipher what she was trying to describe, he thought it would be best to simply show her his own alternative. "Forget it! How about pizza? Do you like mozzarella?" he immediately realized how pointless it was for him to ask that, almost as soon as he finished saying that question.

The girl just shrugged, again making him wonder how many times he could see that gesture from her before it would start getting on his nerves. He conceded and just went with a 'whatever, mozzarella it is then!'.

The lack of communication between them was disheartening to him.

~One hour later~

After painstakingly teaching the girl how to use the remote control to use the TV, a task that was very heavily made more difficult given her lack of reading skills and understanding of the symbols on the buttons, their order finally arrived and the pizza delivery boy was at their doorstep.

Rentarō, as usual, payed him the necessary money, brought the huge pizza into the room and opened the box in preparation for their upcoming meal.

The boy was very pleased with what he was seeing, having bought his favorite type: quattro formaggi. Even though he was not really a fan of Italian food, he did personally enjoy pizza a lot more when the type was authentic to its native Italian origin than when it was cooked under the Japanese derivatives that were also popular among his peers. Either way, he was delighted.

He grabbed a slice with his hand and began munching down on the food. Enju simply stared at him, amazed at this alien dish that she had never encountered before.

It looked both delicious and disgusting at the same time to her.

Because of the molten cheeses on it, it emanated a strong odor, one that she was not used to feeling. Cheese usually emanates a pleasant smell for those who are accustomed to it, but to whomever was not, it created a foul sensation.

She timidly grabbed one of the pre-sliced portions, and immediately felt her intestines move in disgust at the sight of her fingers getting sticky because of the molten cheese.

Enju: " _Ewww_ " she thought, trying to repress any obvious physical gestures that would give away the dread she was feeling at that moment. She wanted to be polite and not look picky from the very first meal they had together.

So she ignored it for now and brought the slice to her mouth. She bit down on the warm slice, trying to make it look like she was enjoying it. That didn't last for long though.

The gorgonzola especially gave a very strong aroma, one which her tongue was not used to. All those intense cheese flavors coupled with the stickiness of the toppings and the intense sensation of taste that had assaulted her nerves were too much for her brain to handle.

Rentarō: "Are you OK? Why are you making that fa-…..Oh no….NO! NOT ON THE CARP-…." but it was too late.

~One hour later~

Rentarō: "You could have warned me about this, you know!" he complained, disgruntled, clearly still very angry at what had happened in that room, to his partner on the phone.

 **Kisara: " _(sigh)_ I honestly thought it was obvious! The girl most likely never ate any pizza all her life until today! Evidently, you shouldn't feed her a food that's so intense until her taste buds get used to the stuff we usually eat. From what I heard, back at the facility, Cursed Children are usually fed vegetable and fruit based dishes, with some eggs and animal meat on occasion. They aren't used to pizza or heavily processed foods!" she tried to explain everything as calmly as possible, to also allow the boy to defuse, especially given the huge quantities of anger still escaping from his voice.**

Rentarō: "Then what am I supposed to feed her? Chinese food, maybe?" he asked, still annoyed a lot.

 **Kisara: "No, how about you make her some home cooked rice? Start out simple!" however, that suggestion wasn't as well received as she had hoped.**

Rentarō: "You….have to be kidding me! I never cooked anything all my life! I don't know how to make rice!" he tried to deflect that seemingly unreasonable suggestion. "How am I supposed to do that?!" his pleas were not helping him at all though.

 **Kisara: "Well, then I guess this would be a good time to start learning" she dismissed mercilessly. The boy was not happy, to say the least.**

Rentarō: "I….can't! Can you at least please come over here and teach me how to do it?" that was the last thing he could do to ease his burden, since he really didn't feel like he was capable of something as seemingly complex as cooking.

 **Kisara: "Rentarō, you're a grown man! Take some responsibility for your decisions! It was you who decided to become a Promoter in the first place! Now deal with it and learn how to handle your own Initiator by yourself!" again, his attempts were proven futile. It was like he was trying to find the exit in a maze that had none.**

Rentarō: "Well, need I remind you that it was you who suggested that I should become a Promoter? After all, right now, I'm the only employee in your company so I don't think I-…."

 **Kisara: "I'm hanging up now" and with that she did just as she said and ended the phone call.**

Rentarō was left with the phone in his hand, silent and standing still in pure defeat. He wanted to curse but he realized that such a thing would be tasteless considering how Enju was standing right in front of him with a needy look in her eyes.

Enju: "I'm hungry!" she demanded, as if that was going to magically make food she likes pop out of thin air instantly.

Rentarō: " _(glaring menacingly at her)_ I hate you…." it was then when he finally realized that, despite what he had been told earlier that day, he was still a surrogate parent, or at least the equivalent of an older sibling. And, frankly speaking, he didn't want a younger sister. He needed a weapon in his life, not a liability.

~Two hours later~

Rentarō: "I'm done!" after many continued and fruitless attempts at it, he finally exclaimed exhausted. It was far too much work, even though he had tried so much to teach that child anything. "I can't do this….I don't remember learning basic algebra being this difficult…." Enju still stared at her textbook, with a lot of venom and hate in her eyes because of the incessant attempts Rentarō was making into forcing her to learn math.

Rentarō had been doing his best to allow the girl to get a grasp on the very basics of what she needed to learn. It was becoming increasingly clear, though, that her lack of even the most fundamental academic building blocks that she needed in order to properly parse any of this new information was far too great and not making things easier on either of them.

Enju: "I don't get it….why do I need to know all of this?! I just want to fight!" she growled hostilely at him, almost like an animal threatening an unwelcome human visitor on its territory.

Rentarō: "Because…..you need to go to school! I won't be able to convince anyone at any place to accept you there unless you understand this simple stuff first! If you're not going to give it any effort then it's all meaningless!" he didn't know what to use as a way to convince her to do what he wanted her to do.

Enju: "Why do I need to go to school, though? I'm an Initiator! I already have a job! I don't need to know any of this to be able to fight Gastrea, do I?" that was true, to some extent. Yes, she didn't need to go to school and yes, all of the things she would learn there wouldn't benefit them on the battlefield. That most certainly was accurate. The problem was that Rentarō had other plans in store for her as well.

Rentarō: "That's because maybe Gastrea won't be around forever! Maybe they will all be killed at some point and then there won't be any more need for Promoters or for Initiators. What, then, will you be doing to justify your existence to society?" he tried to conjure up the most convincing excuse he could think up to make her stop complaining and focus more on what he had planned her to do. Her retort, though, stunned him:

Enju: "Why does it matter? I'll die before that will happen anyway!" she provided him with a more logical argument than he had expected. In that second, after parsing that piece of information, he froze for a bit and stared at her, straight in the eye, seeing nothing more than pure frankness and calm, despite the dark grim message that that sentence carried.

Rentarō: "…..how…..do you know about that?" he had never expected for her to be so knowledgeable with respect to her own circumstances. He had always thought before that it would be his job to convey such things to her when she would become emotionally ready to accept them.

Enju: "They told us that since we were old enough to speak….that one day we will turn into monsters that will endanger everyone else. That we are humanity's enemy, our bodies hosting, in a dormant state, the main reason why you all hide between the Monoliths! Isn't that why everybody hates us?" he had been wrong apparently, she was way more than informed on the reality of her own situation. The fact that they had been this direct with children, was almost laughably cruel, from his perspective. And to think that she was so calm and collected when talking about her own future death, almost like it was a mundane topic to discuss, was frightening to him.

Rentarō: "I…..yeah. That's true. But, it doesn't necessarily have to be that way! You don't know when that day will come! It could be tomorrow but it could also be thirty years from n-…."

Enju: "They told us that it's very likely for the virus to take over our bodies in the next couple of years! And that we shouldn't expect to live longer than that!" yes, that was awfully tragic. The boy was left speechless at that. He hadn't been informed of the same thing although he wouldn't be surprised if it was true either.

Still, what could he say in response to that? If the girl had no hope for her own future and had also been raised with those preconceived ideas breeding inside of her, what then could he say to throw them out and make her find hope in herself?

Rentarō: "I don't care! Just do it!" he finally gave up seeing how logic just wouldn't make her admit defeat and listen to him. When nothing else works, the only solution to attempt is to force her, anyways.

Enju: "What? I just told you I don't need to learn!" she was surprised by his sudden shift in tone.

Rentarō: "Yes, you do!" he retorted very concisely, with a comical lack of further explanations, something which baffled her.

Enju: "Why?" this continued on for a bit.

Rentarō: "Because I say so!" was all he could come up with.

The girl stood never, never in her life having heard that anti-logic reasoning before. She didn't even feel mad, she just stood there, amazed.

Enju: "I…..don't want to!" seeing how they departed from arguing using valid arguments, everything then devolved into mere noise now. They just talked to each other about how they felt about the situation, dropping any attempt at convincing the other about anything since that was clearly unproductive.

Rentarō: "You don't have to want it. You don't have to like it, either!" he was not gonna budge. If she was going to expect to be treated as a younger sibling, then she also had to behave as one and become obedient to him. That, however, was not going to work out as well as he had hoped it would.

Enju: "I'm not going to do it!" and with that she simply pouted, folded her arms in front of her chest in a defiant manner and simply stood there, adopting a stoic position. The boy frowned at this clear violation of his authority.

Rentarō: "You're going to do what I tell you to! I'm your Promoter!" he started to become angry at her, feeling very dissatisfied with her rebellious act.

Enju: "No!" he lost her obedience. Gaining it back, now, was going to be hard.

He felt a migraine building up inside him. He wanted to yell at her, or maybe even find a better way of making her listen to him. But what could that be?

Educating children usually took one of two approaches: either encouraging obedience from them by rewarding it or discouraging disobedience by punishing it. Both of them were well known to child psychologists and both were considered effective in doing what they were supposed to do, especially when combined.

However, he didn't know her very well, nor did he know what she usually enjoyed doing or receiving as gifts. This meant that rewarding her was not yet possible until he got to know her better. Unless he was going to offer her food as a reward, which was the only thing he reliably knew she wanted, he had no other cards to play.

On the other hand, punishing her would be way easier. Simply making her go to her bed and stay inside her room would probably make her reconsider her actions and decisions.

Rentarō: " _But_ … _.then again…..she's been locked up in that place all her life. Would grounding her really work if she's already used to_ _being held in one place against her will_ _?_ " he soon realized that this was also quite unlikely to function. Which left him with no good options now that he thought about it.

What should he do? He didn't know. He just wished he had an easy out. He couldn't argue with her logically since she was right, chances were she was going to die very soon because of the virus infecting her, so forcing her to go through the trouble of learning all the elementary school stuff would be pointless.

But….if she would ever get the chance of acquiring a normal human life at any point then her lack of a formal education would surely destroy her any possible chance of a decent existence. And that was something he didn't want her to go through.

And yet he couldn't force her to listen to him apparently either. Right now, he was lost.

Rentarō: "Whatever. I've got better things to do than bother with you!" seeing how things weren't working out for him, he just abandoned the thought. It wasn't like he was going to win at any point now so he decided to just drop it. "I'm tired! Let's go to your new room so that I can show you where you'll sleep from now on!" exasperated, he tried to convince her of that. He needed to go to bed, feeling very tired already.

The girl didn't fight him this time. She simply nodded her head and allowed herself to be led by him to a new room in that building.

Rentarō guided her to a large chamber, with a huge double bed in the middle of the room. The bed was impressive, larger than anywhere she had ever slept in before.

She stared at it in amazement, almost scared at its size. She had never seen anything like it before.

Enju: "Is that…..?" she didn't even have the words to finish that sentence.

Rentarō: " _(sigh)_ Yes, that's where you'll sleep from now on! And this will be your room!" he hated to exclaim that. To a large extent, that was because this bed that he had offered to her, had used to be his parents' bed. That bed was where they had slept in all those years when he was younger and now, he had to give it to her just because he had nothing else to offer her.

It felt very wrong allowing her to desecrate that space considering how he still didn't get over the death of his parents. Seeing her sleep in their bed felt very wrong to him but he had no other alternative at his disposal now.

Rentarō: "But whatever you do, don't damage it in any way!" that was all he could say to make himself feel at least a bit better about things. Even if he knew she probably wasn't really going to care about his warning, he couldn't help but be frank about it. The then followed with "Also, since this will be your room, feel free to use this space however you like!" he clarified, trying to be as formal as possible with her.

The girl looked around, a bit confused.

Having lived almost the entirety of her life in closed quarters with three other girls was something that she had internalized as the normal way that things go.

To be allowed to have a private space of her own was new and exciting to her.

Enju: "Does this mean that I can eat in here?" she asked a bit optimistically, although the boy shook his head in denial.

Rentarō: "No, we'll only be eating in the kitchen. Last time I tried that in my own room, I got bread crumbs and food stains on my bed. So take it from me when I say that it's best if you don't do that!" that was a nice and lenient way of saying 'no'.

The girl pouted childishly although she didn't complain any further and then proceeded to climb into her bed. She looked around for a set of headphones to put on and see if she could listen to another audio story, although this time she found no such thing.

Enju: "I can't listen to stories either?" she questioned, a bit worried. She had relied on those stories, for some time, to fall asleep while listening to them.

Rentarō: "Stories? What stories? You're nine years old! You still expect to be read bed time stories at your age?" again, he was being awfully cold with her, something which she didn't really enjoy. He wasn't really treating her very nicely, obviously.

The girl let out a sigh, simply accepting the fact that her formal life was gone now and she will be forced to live a different on from that day forward.

As she settled under her bed sheets and tried to make herself as comfortable as possible, the boy began approaching her slowly. He stopped right next to her bed, with a very awkward look on his face, him looking in a blank spot away from her, almost as if he was embarrassed by what he was about to say:

Rentarō: "Look, Enju..." he began, with a bit of unease in his voice. He struggled to find the best words to say to properly convey the message he wanted to transmit, without sounding too cheesy or emotional. "I know that this is going to be difficult for you. I know you probably don't like me and, honestly, I don't like you that much either" he admitted, still a bit skeptical about this idea of his of opening up to her although he tried to maintain his posture and go forward with his more or less improvised speech to her.

Rentarō: "But…..at the very end of the day, like it or not, we're in this thing together! I'm new to this whole Promoter-Initiator thingy and, truthfully, I don't really know how well we'll do in combat" the girl kept on looking at him, not necessarily glaring, nor pouting. She was just quietly listening to him, giving away almost no emotions.

Rentarō: "But I want to be able to do the best I can in protecting humanity! And, to do that, I need your help! I need you to cooperate with me and assist me as much as you can!" he felt a bit weird when confessing such stuff to her, especially since he was at that point in his life where revealing his feelings to other people wasn't really easy.

Rentarō: "I don't know if this will work out. But I believe we should at least give it our all and try to see how good we are at playing along and seeing how far we can manage together! What do you say?" he offered a forced and contorted smile to cheer her up, hoping that that would be a good enough gesture to win her over.

He was mistaken though.

Enju: "Yeah, sure…." was all she responded with. It wasn't a sarcastic remark, or at least it didn't feel like one. However, it didn't feel honest either.

It felt like a very half-assed reply, the type you would say just to get rid of someone who was nagging you with stuff that you didn't really care about. She clearly was tired and wanted to sleep and, given how awkward and annoying his speech was, she didn't get as invested in what he had said. After all, how could you be expected to simply accept all of these life-changing facts by merely hearing a speech? Obviously you couldn't.

The boy, realizing this, sighed and concluded that maybe it wasn't really the right time yet for them to be talking about such things.

He then extended his arm towards the lamp sitting on the night stand next to her bed and grabbed the switch, ready to flip it. He did just that and the light in the room quickly went away, a signal from him to her that it was time to go to sleep.

Enju: "WAIT!" the girl suddenly shouted, with a lot of fear evident from her hurried and panicked tone of voice.

The boy, almost immediately and instinctively, undid his previous action and switched the light back on.

Rentarō: "What?!" he asked, with some annoyance in his voice.

Enju: "Can….you keep the light on, please? I'm…..scared of the dark" she confessed timidly, almost in a begging tone. The past experience she had had almost three years before was still burned into her subconscious and she was still almost traumatically scared of purely dark areas, to the extent where she just couldn't sleep in them.

Rentarō: " _(sigh)_ Yeah, that's fine!" he exclaimed exasperated. He hated the idea of increasing his electricity bill for no apparent reason, especially since it felt ridiculous how his own Initiator would be scared of the dark considering how she was also expected to fight giant monsters along with him.

If she couldn't even sleep in a dark room by herself, what expectations could he have for her on the battlefield?


	11. A glimpse into the past, part 4

~Satomi Residence, one year before current events~

His head was pulsing, his blood pressure was already well beyond healthy limits and he was feeling as though the Universe was about to implode into his body at any moment then. He felt the anger almost oozing out from all his orifices, almost like a dam with many cracks in it that was about to burst because of the sheer pressure caused by the weight of the water behind it.

He could only stare at the scene in front of him, barely containing his rage and trying to control himself.

Enju, feeling his murderous feelings towards her, avoided eye contact and was simply looking away, with a huge blush on her face in embarrassment.

Rentarō: " _Even with the lights on for the entire night, she still ended up like this?_ " he thought to himself. He knew she was embarrassed, there was no denying that. The fact that she had her face almost the color of her hair was proof of that. And yet, how could he ignore this and pretend like nothing had happened? Obviously he couldn't.

Enju: "It's just sweat!" was all she could say in defense for herself.

Rentarō: "…..that's not sweat, Enju…." he retorted almost immediately, very annoyed to say the least that she was trying to dismiss this entire awkward situation as just 'you're wrong'. It was clear as day that the huge spot of wetness mixed and tainting the fabric of her covers (as well as the bed underneath) was urine. And not just little amounts of it, the area it contaminated was visibly covering almost half of her small body.

And the worst part was that, since only now did he find this, in the morning, probably hours after the horrific event, the liquids probably got embedded in the innards of the bed as well by then, possibly damaging it beyond repair.

And even if that wasn't the case, the smell would probably stay there for a long time.

Rentarō: " _My parents' bed….ruined after just one night….._ " he wasn't going to take this well. He wanted to be calm and collected about things, especially since this was only Enju's second day living with him, but he was already feeling fed up.

After all, he had sworn to protect his memories of them as much as possible, trying to preserve their belongings to the best of his abilities. To that end, he had been doing his best to keep their room as intact as possible.

And now, despite his best efforts, he was finding himself with the sad situation that, despite weeks of trying to clean and maintain the sanctity of that room all by himself, it only took Enju one night to ruin everything.

Rentarō: "Why….?" was all he could utter, in disappointment.

Enju sighed, realizing that she wasn't going to fool him, regardless of what she said. So she just dropped her acts and accepted that reality.

Enju: "I….had a nightmare last night. It was of a monster…..I've had this nightmare for a long time….." that didn't do her much good.

Rentarō still couldn't accept that, nor could he forgive her. However, he took a deep breath and forced his eyes closed, for a moment, to concentrate on his feelings and try to repress any negative emotions he had.

Rentarō: " _Don't yell at her! It's barely morning! Don't ruin your day just because of this….._ " he rationally tried to convince himself.

Despite his age, he had learned a couple of years ago how to control his emotions and do meditation to properly get a hold of things.

It was those techniques that he had learned that helped him a lot in his life, to the extent of even passing some very rough and stressful tests for his Promoter license.

He knew that, regardless of situation, maintaining calm and rationally assessing the situation and calculating the best possible moves while discarding away any emotions from the background was always vital.

Rentarō: " _And yet…..it feels like my heart is about to burst any second now_ " he persevered though. His concentration allowed himself to deflate a bit, get a grip of himself, cooling down just enough to maintain his regular personality. "Go to the kitchen and prepare for breakfast!" he ordered, forcing the conversation on an entirely different topic to move things along.

The girl nodded, happy to see him not get angry at her (or at least not punishing her) and proceeded towards the specified area.

He remained behind, grabbing and pulling onto the stained sheets, mentally preparing for the day that was about to come.

~Half an hour later, kitchen~

Rentarō: "C'mon! It's cereal! All children love cereal!" he almost begged, incredulous at the amount of pickiness that a single child could display in less than twenty four hours.

Enju stood there, with the bowl of warm milk and crunchy flakes in front of her, almost filled to the brim and with the spoon lying in it, very lonely.

Enju: "I like it….." she tried to defend herself, this time. Still, her partner wasn't having it.

Rentarō: "If you like it then why aren't you eating?" he commented, still unimpressed. "You took just six spoons from it! I counted!" the girl felt a bit creeped out how he had actually payed that much attention to her eating but decided not to comment on it and just try to convince him that her behavior wasn't because of ill will.

Enju: "My teeth hurt…." she cried, lowly, almost as if she didn't even have the proper courage to reveal that to him. He raised his eyebrow in disbelief.

Rentarō: "Your teeth? Which teeth?" he probed, trying to find out how legitimate her claims were.

Enju then pointed at her right cheek, in an area at her lower jaw.

Enju: "It's hurting right there…." she complained. He wasn't happy with that though.

Rentarō: "Even if that's true, just learn to deal with it and eat! I'm not gonna change your meal!" he decided he didn't want to be bothered with this. He had too much crap to worry about and didn't want to waste time listening to her stories, regardless of how true or not they were.

Enju: "But I can't eat this!" she continued, much to his displeasure. "It's crunchy and it breaks…..making my mouth hurt!" after that morning and after having her soil his parents' bed, he just wasn't in the mood of giving her any pity.

Rentarō: "I don't care!" he decided it was about time for him to end that conversation and stop bothering with her incessant cries. "When I was your age, I was thankful just to be alive! Especially after what I had went through! Learn to deal with what life throws at you!" he rose from the table, in anger, gathering his dishes and then heading towards the sink to start washing them. "Eat it or leave it!" he finished, letting her know that he was finally fed up with her actions.

The girl pouted.

Enju: "That's not fair! I'm hungry!" despite his complete lack of sympathy for her, she still didn't seem ready to accept his message.

The boy, seeing how his statements weren't enough to convince her, simply ignored her after that point. He didn't respond to her comments and just continued to work on cleaning his dishes.

It was then when Enju realized how little he actually cared for her.

Enju: "Hey! I'm talking to you! Hey!" but her calls were met with silence once again, as the boy continued to dismiss her.

Enju: "….." she was now infuriated as well. Her empty stomach was making her especially grumpy, even more so because of the hour. "….fine! I don't need food!" and with that, she stomped loudly on the floor after hopping down from her chair and made her way towards the main room, also starting to ignore him as well.

Rentarō: " _Finally, that annoying brat is gone…._ " he commented internally, feeling a great deal of relief when realizing that he was all by himself again, something which he now saw as a luxury compared to a couple of days ago when he had considered loneliness a curse that was slowly eating away at his sanity. " _Now that I'm in this position, I'd much rather die all alone than with her next to me…._ " despite the vitriol in those thoughts, there was a kernel of sincerity behind them, a kernel that grew from the depths of his dying soul.

~A couple of hours later, Terotero cemetery~

The boy stood motionless, in front of his parents' tombstone. The weather was convenient with the sky clear and with a light breeze to cool him off while standing in the sun.

After finishing with his prayers, the boy gave the tombstone a long lifeless stare, with nothing particularly in his mind while doing it.

After the incident that had transpired that morning with Enju ruining his parents' bed, the boy decided to at least honor their memory as a personal apology by visiting their place of eternal rest.

When he had been younger, he had always avoided to visit that cemetery, mainly to avoid bringing back those painful memories of them. He had always refused to believe that they were dead, never accepting that as the truth despite what everyone around him had told him.

Hell, not even now did he believe such a thing, denying that theory with every fiber of himself. Everyone said he was simply in denial, although he merely considered them to be ignorant of the truth. After all, their bodies had never been found, although everyone just assumed that their corpses simply mutated into Gastrea that had been subsequently dealt with later. Since DNA tests cannot be done on Gastrea because of the amount of mutations that their genetic code had undergone, it is usually impossible to tell with certainty who the bodies of the monsters that had been killed belonged to before the transformation. As such, since the cadavers of his parents had never been found at the site of the Gastrea attack, it was assumed that they had transformed at some point.

Rentarō always dismissed this as mere false assumptions, although always without having any evidence to support his beliefs. There had been times when he even doubted himself and asked himself if the only reason he didn't believe them was because he was too emotionally involved and simply didn't want to accept them. He never managed to convince himself with logical reasoning, always ending the debate with a 'I just know they're still alive somewhere' and silencing the pessimistic voices in his head.

He only recently had started to visit that place and properly follow traditional practices, such as praying and cleaning their tombstone from the always growing and spreading vines. After all, he was their only child and also the only person close to them so he was the only one who would do it.

It wasn't like he had given up on his beliefs of them still being alive somewhere. But, at this moment, this place was the only location that made him feel comfortable thinking about them. Maybe he had gotten used to the tranquility there, maybe he just got used of thinking about them when seeing their names carved in that stone. Who knows?

It just felt right to come there whenever he wanted to feel like he was talking to them, even though it was only monologue in reality.

Rentarō: "I'm sorry….for everything…." he lowly whispered, almost as if ashamed of what he was saying. "I know I don't come here very often. I'm sure you guys miss me, considering I'm the only one cleaning this place up. I've just been…..very busy recently" thankfully he was alone there, probably since it was still early morning and nobody bothered visiting their dead relatives or friends that early on.

Rentarō: "I…..got my license three days ago! Just like I said I would….." he smiled a bit, a very weak smile. In fact, it felt very depressing how little energy he had in himself when revealing that. "I…..I'm finally closer. I'm finally getting closer to becoming a hero…..someone who will avenge all the people that died…..all the Cursed Children and those suffering from the virus…." his voice began to pick up confidence, becoming pronounced and gaining strength. "I….will make this world a better place! I will protect those weak and helpless. I will become one that you will be proud of! I will….make you happy!" it pained him to remember those horrific screams that his parents had yelled back when he had been younger. The nightmarish cries for help that had haunted his nightmares for many years afterwards, reminding him of what hell felt like.

He really wanted his parents to actually be there in front of him to listen to his declarations, to pat his head and call him a good boy, as they so often had done while they were alive.

Rentarō: " _NO!_ " he suddenly yelled inside his head, repelling those thoughts as if they were contaminating his brain. " _They're still alive right now! They're not dead!_ " he tried to shove those reinforcements into his subconscious, trying to override the poisonous ideas that were only destroying his sanity.

Rentarō: "One day….I will make this world a better place, whether you will be there to cheer me on or not. Just watch over me!" and with that, he closed his one-sided dialogue with the faceless stone in front of him.

It really hurt even merely being there. It hurt so much.

He began to walk away, a bit dissatisfied for whatever reason.

Every time he visited that location, he always left with a sour taste in his mouth. Then again, how couldn't it?

That cemetery had specifically been built at the heart of Tokyo to mourn those who were believed to have fallen to the virus and whose bodies mutated. Since the virus inside their fluids was still active and contagious even after the Gastrea had been killed, nobody ever felt OK with simply burying them underground.

Instead, and also because the dead Gastrea could never be identified, they were cremated to ensure that the virions would be destroyed and contain the risk of spread. As such, that place never actually hosted any cadavers in its earth.

The only thing that cemetery had was a huge collection of tombstones with the names of those who were assumed to have become infected and died to the virus.

And the main issue was that that cemetery was constantly growing with more stones each year, reminding the boy of his inevitable end.

Given his job as a Promoter, he had always considered that the most likely cause of death for him would probably be him being bitten by a monster at some point and turning into one himself, ending with his own stone there, maybe even next to his parents'.

It was a very sober thought, one which he felt was unwelcome but necessary. After all, now he was an official Promoter, so that end was getting nearer and nearer….probably.

Promoter: " _Why am I bothering with this? If I'll keep thinking about this, I'll only end up becoming depressed again…._ " he knew he couldn't afford losing focus. He had to keep on going and maintain his goal simple and achievable. Losing his mind over past events was counterproductive, something which he had learned by himself a long time ago.

As he began to walk into the direction towards his house, he stopped a bit, and remembered a specific event from his past, different from his parents' deaths.

Suddenly, he changed his route and began walking on an entirely different path.

After a long walk, he arrived next to a very small and shallow river flowing to the side of a street. The river felt very relaxing to look at, gently flowing in its general direction, uncaring of the environment around it. However, the memories he had of that body of water were anything but relaxing or pleasant.

Rentarō: " _I wonder…..if people still drown their babies in this…._ " that was a laughably dark and seemingly random thought to have while looking at a river, but it was an honest natural reaction towards a depressing recollection from many years ago.

Many Cursed Children had died in those waters, and probably still do frequently. Depressed mothers that had gone near insane from the consequences of their new borns being infected with the Gastrea virus would come there and drown their offspring in the water, to spare them of the horrible life that awaited them, especially from the stigma that society would look onto them with.

The world was horrible, and it would continue to be that way until this nasty virus would become eradicated.

Rentarō: " _If only she knew how lucky she is…._ " he now directed his thoughts towards his new partner. She was still at home, probably waiting for him.

He knew that he wasn't really allowed to leave her by herself for extended periods of time but he just couldn't stand being near her anymore.

They had barely spent one day together and he was already sick of her presence.

And yet, when looking at that river and remembering those horrific sights, he couldn't help but pity her. Even if she had gotten lucky and escaped such a terrible fate, in the end, she still never lived a normal life.

Enju was clearing not a normal child and it was even debatable if she could become one at that point. He would have to invest a lot of effort into teaching her the basics that she needed to start going to school, if that was even possible.

And after she would start going, he hoped that she would also begin making friends, learn to integrate into society and start living a life of her own, independent of her status as an Initiator or as a Cursed Child. Or at least….that was his initial plan.

Rentarō: " _If only it were that easy….._ " while he saw no flaws in this plan, he was doubtful he could actually pull it off. After all, Enju seemed very resistant to the idea of going to school. She also seemed to have a learning handicap, considering how she didn't even understand the basics of theoretical abstract thinking even, something which she would require in school.

The teenager kept on staring towards the river, asking himself if he was really up to the job of being a good guardian towards her.

Rentarō: " _Maybe_ … _..at the end of the day…...maybe she is the unlucky one for getting to live through this horrible reality_ " he wondered.

~Forty minutes later, Satomi residence~

Rentarō: "What…..the hell?!" he almost yelled out after feeling his heart weaken a bit at the sight in front of him.

Many floor tiles were broken in the living room, with long cracks radiating from deeply damaged epicenters that were randomly scattered across everywhere, almost like a miniature meteor shower had taken place in that room somehow and ended up bombarding the floor very badly.

Rentarō: "What….happened here?!" flabbergasted, he didn't even know where to begin asking his questions. The girl turned away, a bit shocked and scared that he found out, her having somehow expected that he wouldn't notice those disturbances at all.

Enju: "There was this…..black small thingy crawling on the floor. I don't think it was a Gastrea…..but it was fast and scary. You weren't around, so I tried to kill it myself….." he face-palmed.

Rentarō: "That was probably a cockroach. There are a couple of those in this house. They got here because of the food in those boxes" he began explaining, feeling his anger finally starting to rise up in him once again. He couldn't believe it. One cockroach was enough to trigger the girl so hard as to have her literally destroy the flooring in their house. That was truly scary. "Please…..stop using your powers when I'm not around. In fact, from this point on, you're not allowed to use your powers any more while in this building, do you understand?" feeling as if he had reached the limit of his patience with her, he decided to start giving out orders that would forbid her from doing any more rash actions that would only continue to devastate his life.

Rentarō: "This house isn't a playground, nor a testing field for your abilities! I don't know how it was where you lived but over here, you're forbidden from using them until I give you a clear order!" finally trying to take initiative, he began imposing drastic rules. Naturally, this did not come without its repercussions, though.

Enju: "This isn't fair! It wasn't even my fault! That thing just appeared out of nowhere! What was I supposed to do?!" she retorted, very indignant.

Rentarō: "You should have used a shoe or something! It's not normal to just break the floor simply to squash a bug on it!" he continued to hold his stance, not willing to allow her to continue.

Enju: "But….but…..I always used to stomp really hard on the floor back at the facility all the time and nothing bad would happen!" she tried to use as an excuse.

Rentarō: "This house isn't made of reinforced steel, Enju. This isn't like the place where you used to live! Over here, things are way more fragile. If you use all the force behind your leg muscles, you could probably cause half of the house to collapse if you did it in just the wrong spots. That's why you should stop!" this didn't change her attitude though.

Enju: "Well, then you should do a better job cleaning this house then! I don't want to live with those things with me!" seeing how they couldn't reach a compromise, the boy was starting to feel very annoyed.

Rentarō: "Well, you don't get to decide that! This is how things are over here! I'm not going to start cleaning just because you don't want to learn how to behave and control your powers! In society, learning when to control yourself is essential to live a peaceful life!" despite his best efforts, she just wasn't having it.

Enju: "NO! This is horrible! You can't force me not to use my powers! That's just unfair!" she felt like she had one of her basic rights being stripped away from her. She felt like he was personally attacking her, trying to weaken her just so that he could impose his authority there, much like the guards she knew had used to do. She didn't like that.

Rentarō: "Well, I make the rules! If you don't like it then you can just go-…." but he was interrupted by a sudden and unexpected vibration from his pocket.

Surprised, the young man pulled his cellphone from inside, brought the screen to his face and noticed a notification had gone off….specifically a reminder that he had set up a week prior.

Rentarō: "Oh…." and then he made a disgruntled face. " _Out of all the bad timings that could take place, why did this one had to happen today?_ " he felt the need to just pretend that he hadn't noticed it and put the phone away and forget about it.

Enju: "What?" the girl simply asked, noticing the demoralized look on his face.

Rentarō: "I appointed a training session for us last week at the Civil Training Center. The session should start in about one hour from now" he felt such little interest in what he was saying that he could barely even find the energy to convey this message.

Enju: "What….for?" she asked, in disbelief. "I can already fight very well!" obviously she didn't get it.

Rentarō: "The training isn't specifically for you, Enju. It's for both of us, to see how well we do teamwork" he revealed, feeling like he was at the end of his energy already. "Even the best Promoter paired with the best Initiator are useless on the battlefield if they cannot cooperate properly with each other. That's why these training sessions are mandatory for all Civil Security agency staff. We….need to go!" even with the comical lack of enthusiasm on his face, the boy still had the sense of duty to ignore their previous heated conversation and try his best to maintain a sense of professional attitude to control the girl.

Enju stood there, still cheesed off, wondering if she should listen to him or not.

At the end of the day, she didn't like doing these things but, seeing how incredibly pissed he was about this whole ordeal as well, she understood that it wasn't really something that he enjoyed either. It was simply something that they had to do, whether they liked it or not.

~One hour later, Civil Training Center nr. 2 ~

Instructor: "Hello and welcome to the Civil Training Center nr. 2. My name is Yui Otonashi and I will be your instructor today!" a grown middle aged woman began speaking to a large group of people, mostly consisting of young nine to ten year olds accompanied by men and women of varying ages. "I know that the majority of you have arrived here for the very first time to train together with your partner and, probably, you don't really know or understand the purpose of this training. Let me explain:" she began to present professionally while all the others would simply watch and listen to her, very curious and with their interests piqued.

Instructor: "The purposes of these training sessions are the following: to calculate your IP rank and assess your prowess on the battlefield, as well as to give you access to a controlled and well equipped medium where you can get to know your partners and understand their fighting styles before you actually begin combat with real Gastrea. To that end, you will be invited to join combat in simulations against automated robots that you will have to destroy, in order to pass these tests. During this, we will be observing your cooperation with your assigned partner and measure the level of coordination that you two will exhibit together. The more robots you incapacitate or assist in incapacitating, as well as the more you complement each other during the fights, the better our assessments of your team will be, and the lower the IP rank we will give you. Any questions?" she asked everyone in that room, after finishing to explain what she had to.

All the Promoter-Initiator pairs looked at each other, all very concerned and worried about this entire thing. After all, none of them had ever participated in anything like this and so they felt unprepared for it.

Random Promoter: "Yes, uhm, I have a question!" one slowly emerged from the crowd and walked forward towards their instructor. "How realistic are these simulations supposed to be? You said that we will be fighting robots, not real Gastrea, right? That doesn't sound all that impressive, nor really an accurate representation of what we will be facing in the future!" she spoke out, with a bit of ridicule in her voice.

Yui: "It's illegal to use Gastrea in anything other than research experiments. We use a substitute that replicates a Gastrea's enormous size and strength, though, so you will have a fairly decent challenge in front of you. Moreover, you will be allowed to use any weapons of your choosing, regardless of how lethal, so you will get to grow more experience in handling them. Finally, the purposes of these simulations are, as I said, not achieving realism but on calculating your prowess in fights as well as allowing you to get to know your partners while doing combat with them. If realism is your concern, then I suggest you don't get your hopes up too high" she clarified, before focusing her eyes away from her, letting everyone know that she was open to other questions as well.

Another Promoter: "And about that, you mean we can use our personal weapons in this? If we use Varanium equipment during this, isn't there a chance we might accidentally harm an Initiator?" another man brought up another good point.

Yui: "Well, that is true. Reckless behavior from your part can bring harm to your Initiators during this training. But let me remind you that bullets, made out of Varanium or not, are also deadly to humans. Basically, there is a risk for everyone involved, whether Promoter or Initiator, but that is intentional: while the robots you will be tasked with destroying have builtin mechanisms that will make them stop as soon as they calculate that their actions are likely to kill any of you, you still need to get a feel for the dangers of fighting. More often than not, you will be sent on missions that will require you to cooperate with one another, not just a Promoter with his or her Initiator, but different pairs working together as well. During those times, you should already have the skills and foresight necessary to avoid friendly fire among yourselves. Think of this as an introduction to that" that was yet another thing that left a bad taste in their mouths, but they all decided to swallow their tongues and simply roll with those answers since they really had no choice in the matter.

Enju: "Do we really have to do this?" came a rather jarring and surprising question from one Initiator finally. Rentaro's face immediately turned red.

Rentarō: "Don't embarrass me!" he tried to whisper in her ears but she ignored him.

Enju: "Why do we need this? After all, I've received plenty of extensive training at my facility before meeting Rentarō! If I know that I can fight then why does it matter if he can't do it?" at that, many of the other Promoters began chuckling in the background, amused by the lack of confidence that she had in her own Promoter.

The teenage boy could only want for the ground to open up and swallow him, in those embarrassing moments.

Yui: " _(sigh)_ That's because success is only achievable via teamwork in almost everything you will be doing! Taking out Gastrea, despite what many of you believe, isn't just the job of Initiators. Their Promoters are there to give out orders to control the situation as well as call the shots when making any vital and critical decisions. At the end of the day, Initiators are believed to be the muscle for defeating the Gastrea, while their Promoters are the brain that coordinates them. Brains without muscles can't feed themselves and muscles without brains just lie there until they atrophy. In the same veins that brains and muscles need to cooperate and work together in order to keep themselves alive, Promoters and Initiators need to collaborate for the greater good of the team. And this training, which is mandatory, by the way, and must take place monthly for everyone with a license, is there to make you learn to do just that!" the redheaded small child pouted immaturely in response to that.

Seeing how she subsided, though, was a good sign since it meant that she would stop embarrassing him.

Shōgen: "You know, it's quite sad when you couldn't even impress a ten year old girl. When she's the one that gets worried about you, then maybe you're not suited for the battlefield there, kid!" came a loud and obnoxious comment from one of the Promoters in the group towards Rentarō. He cursed under his breath at the uninvited opinion that crashed into him.

Rentarō: " _Of course somebody just had to crack a joke at that_ " he thought to himself, realizing how short lived his moment of relief had been before someone decided to make fun of him. He just decided to ignore that. He was going to scold Enju as soon as they were gonna arrive back home.

Yui: "Anyways….let's continue! You will all be split into groups of three Promoter-Initiator pairs. Each group will be assigned a training room and will encounter its own enemies. That's to avoid crowding and chaos. Moreover, you will have to find ways of killing your assigned enemy. Remember: they are all robots and are programmed to stop attacking when they sense that you are defenseless. If you think things are getting too heated and dangerous, stop attacking or defending and trust that it will cease to attack you. It's better to just give up prematurely than go full on and risk losing your life….or endangering someone else's!" she tried to emphasize calmly before pressing a button on a remote control in her right hand. This triggered the huge LED screen behind her to light up and display a huge table with the names of all the people there and their assigned group as well as the room numbers for those groups.

Rentarō: " _Well, at least I'm not in the same team as that annoying guy…._ " he sighed in relief when making that remark to himself.

He then looked at Enju who was next to him and gave her a cold glare.

Rentarō: "What the hell was that all about?!" he questioned her, enraged.

Enju: "Nothing…." she deflected while looking away, clearly showing that she was not in the mood of having a dispute with him. That only made him clench his teeth all the more.

Rentarō: "I'm really starting to feel like this won't work" he was already feeling defeated as they both began to walk towards their training room.

After making their way to it, they entered the room, along with their group mates and then closed the door behind them. The door immediately activated its lock to prevent them from escaping.

All the people there began to wait patiently, trying to see how all of this will go down. To some extent, nobody felt really confident about what was about to happen, except for Enju who was just very bored and imagined that what she was about to encounter would be very similar to her previous training sessions.

Overconfident, she just stood there, awaiting the arrival of their enemies just so that she could defeat them quickly and get back home afterwards. She really felt uncomfortable having to spend too much time with Rentarō, especially since their relationship was becoming more and more strained with each dialogue.

Finally, after minutes of grueling waiting, alarm sounds began to fire across the room, signaling the beginning of the training.

Rentarō: "Get ready!" he ordered her.

Enju: "I already was! Just don't get in my way!" that felt like a very rude thing to say.

The boy was about to say something mean to her in response but didn't get to do it as a giant creature suddenly jumped between them, forcing the entire group apart as they all tried to jump away from it.

Rentarō: "Crap!" the boy immediately pulled the safety on his gun and began aiming for the creature. He then pulled the trigger and sent a Black Bullet flying towards the robot. The impact was powerful and it penetrated the skin of it. However, since there was no flesh to actually damage with the toxic ammunition, as it passed only through metal and hydraulic pumps, the beast did not stop and simply re-positioned before lunging at the boy that had attacked it. "Oh GREAT!" he realized how unfair it was now that he was fighting basically an enemy that was immune to his strongest asset: his Varanium bullets. Since those only worked on creatures harboring the Gastrea virus, a robot would simply ignore them passing through its body as if nothing had happened.

Rentarō: " _I guess guns just aren't effective against robots then?_ " he wondered, trying to get out of the way of the charging mechanical menace.

Thankfully, the incoming high speed creature got intercepted very quickly by Enju's powerful kick, which immediately decapitated it, allowing a lot of oil and mechanical parts to splatter all over the room, making the rest of its body that remained intact fall onto the ground, broken.

Rentarō: "Wow…." the boy remained impressed at that athletic performance, having not expected to see his partner dispose of their enemy that easily with just one single kick.

Enju landed gracefully onto the ground, before giving him a cold stare.

Enju: "You're slow! Why do I have to worry about you getting eaten?!" again, an unwelcome comment from her arrived.

The boy felt both thankful but also pissed at that, seeing how full of herself she was.

Rentarō: "Listen here: just because I-..." he tried to retort but, once again, that quickly died out when a screech was heard, this time from the ceiling. Everyone in their group looked upwards, only to identify another enemy just above their heads, with its legs somehow glued to the ceiling above.

Noticing how they have all found it, it then lunged down towards one of the other Promoters there.

This robot had the shape of a giant bat Gastrea, a particularly nasty encounter. The bat slammed one of its feet down to stomp on the unlucky Promoter to incapacitate him. He quickly rolled out of the way of the incoming foot, rose on both his legs and began running away. His Initiator quickly jumped on the enemy to distract it and allow her partner to build some distance and increase his safety.

She was a Model Monkey, which gave her great agility, speed, as well as incredible strength in her arms and legs. She grabbed the top of the bat's left wing, climbing up and then lunging from there at its head to assault it. She grabbed her hands around the metallic ears on the head and tried to twist it, to dislocate the head from its position and make the thing malfunction.

Her hopes were quickly proven to be futile, though, as the robot suddenly rotated its head with a mechanical motor to a strange angle that put its mouth right in front of her comparatively minuscule body.

Initiator: "That's...not fair! Real Gastrea can't do that!" she complained, not having the time to run away and realizing how screwed she was.

The robot then moved its head towards her abdomen and punctured it with its huge metal fangs. Thankfully, it intentionally omitted to strike her liver or any vital parts. The girl screamed in agony, trying to get away. Her Promoter, from a distance, aimed at the enemy and launched a guided rocket at it with his rocket launcher.

The creature moved its left wing to block the rocket, but the impact left a powerful shock wave spread through its body and made the girl fall out of its mouth and onto the ground below, holding onto her stomach and bleeding in pain.

Rentarō, seeing her in danger, aimed at the robot and began firing his own bullets to distract this creature from its now defenseless prey. Still, the bullets only went through the carcass, the holes they were creating not seemingly doing anything to stop the menace. It really felt like Varanium bullets were an inefficient means to stop those robots.

Rentarō: "DAMMIT! IF THAT THING WAS REAL, MY BULLETS WOULD HAVE KILLED IT BY NOW!" the most frustrating part for him was the fact that the bat wasn't even registering his attack on it as a real threat, since it actively ignored him and began lowering its head towards the fallen Initiator right under it.

Enju: "Don't bother!" his Initiator suddenly yelled from a distance at him, with a lot of disappointment in her eyes. "Your gun is useless here, can't you see that?! Just go hide somewhere and let us handle it! You're only in the way!" that felt very hurtful.

To have his own Initiator be fed up with him was probably the last thing he wanted to hear in that stressful battle. He was really trying his best but yet he couldn't do anything useful. And the fact that Enju was so disparaging towards him wasn't really helping either.

Rentarō: "I'M DOING THE BEST I CAN!" he yelled back, with more anger in him then than before.

The previous Promoter then launched another, this time bigger rocket at the enemy before it could grab among its teeth his Initiator again. The creature noticed this and rose its wing again to protect itself but this time the extra size of the explosive payed off and managed to make it lose its balance, forcing it to the side to regain its equilibrium.

Since more distance was now between it and the girl lying on the ground, the second Initiator ran up to the victim, grabbed her and ran off with her on her back while the bat was trying to re-balance itself with its huge weight and size.

Seeing how it was now momentarily unfocused, Enju decided to run towards it and take advantage of this, only to hear Rentaro's voice.

Rentarō: "DON'T GO NEAR IT!" he warned her very quickly, reading into her intended plan. "That guy over there is launching Varanium shrapnel filled barrel bombs at it! If you get hit with that shrapnel, you'll likely die!" the expression on his face was dead serious, implying that he was not willing to argue with her on that and that she was clearly forbidden from disobeying that order. It was a face that Enju had never seen before from him.

The girl stopped, losing her momentum because of his clear and very imposing expression. She just stood there, having lost her initial energy to attack the creature.

Enju: "Then what am I supposed to do?!" she yelled at her now direct commandant, only to receive dead silence in return. To be honest, Rentarō wasn't really sure of what she should do either and, as such, he couldn't give her an answer.

The girl just stood there, feeling very discontented because of that order, now not knowing what to do.

The bat, seeing its chance, began emitting a very loud high pitched noise, even higher than the previous screech that it had emitted to warn them. The extremely loud volume of that was enough to incapacitate everyone there, because they were all forced to place their hands over their ears instinctively. If they didn't they could have ended up with hearing loss.

Then, seeing them stand down and defenseless, the bat quickly jumped at the Promoter with the rocket launcher to try to disable him since he was the most dangerous threat to it right then.

The boy quickly tried to respond and lift up his launcher to fire at it in retaliation but he found himself not have enough time as he was face to face with his enemy now.

He tried to leave his weapon on the ground and make a sprint for it but he was slammed with the left wing of the creature and sent flying a couple of meters away.

But just before the bat could then continue to assault him, the third Promoter finally decided to gather the courage to intervene and jumped at the enemy, wrapping a long chain made out of Varanium along its left wing and began pulling on it, forcing the creature to focus on him. Despite his mostly cowardly approach to the battle, he had a big and imposing figure, with sufficient muscles to even force the mechanical robot into submission by way of his chains.

The bat tried to struggle out, but couldn't really fight properly with one of its wings being pulled on with such force.

Promoter: "It's down! Try to kill it!" he urged, struggling to keep the thing under control, although only barely.

The bat wouldn't stop, trying to get its body free once again. The chains were already starting to visibly deform, a sign that they were very quickly running out of time. Varanium was not a metal known for its durability or high resistance, so when a lot of pressure was applied to it, it usually breaks much quicker than other materials.

Enju, seeing how they were running out of time, decided to ignore her Promoter's previous order and sprinted towards the target, trying to see if she could land a kick on its center of mass before the beast would break loose. If she could land that single kick, she was sure she could break its body into many pieces.

Rentarō: "WAIT! I TOLD YOU TO STAY HERE!" the boy immediately began running after her, although he was no match for her speeds. The girl didn't seem to care much for orders, though, and didn't even slow down, accelerating at a dazzling rate to get her attack in just before the creature would set itself loose from the bind. After all, that was their greatest chance at victory against it.

As soon as she got within close range to the creature, though, she saw the error of her ways: the other Promoter who handled a rocket launcher had already got himself back up and already was ready to fire a new rocket at it. Both her and him were rushing to get a shot in and before he could catch glimpse of her, he already aimed and pulled the trigger, launching the shrapnel filled projectile at its target.

The rocket landed dead square in the face of the enemy, sending a bunch of ricocheted Varanium fragments. By the time Enju could stop and try to reverse her direction, a bunch of the projectiles spread and one particularly unlucky one landed in her right shoulder blade.

Enju: "ARGGHHH" she screamed, feeling the burning sensation that her body felt when the accursed metal suddenly began reacting with the virus residing inside of her.

The immediate pain exploded throughout her entire body, letting her know of the true power that this substance had over Cursed Children. She had never felt actual Varanium on her skin before…..until that day. The insane amounts of pain that spread from her shoulder blade radiated to her head and face almost, feeling like she had been hit by a bomb that had gone off right next to her.

She collapsed onto the ground, limping, as her body reacted violently with the projectile, almost simulating an allergic reaction, a wide burning red patch starting to grow on her skin from the impact point outwards, starting to cover her body and forming red lumps of flesh on the surface.

Rentarō: "ENJU!" the boy was horrified at the site, losing all of his rationality and starting to panic as he ran towards her.

Immediately, the creature recovered, to some extent, re-initializing itself to focus on the battle. It jarringly swung its captured wing in a wide arc, forcing the Promoter holding it with the chains off the ground. Since he had expected it to stay down, he wasn't holding himself onto anything anymore, which allowed it to propel him with his own chains into the air, effectively then allowing it to unravel the chains and set itself free.

Seeing how one rocket still wasn't enough, the Promoter who had launched the previous missile put his gun down, cursing that he couldn't use it anymore since now Enju was there fallen on the ground, being the new victim this time.

The robot noticed this and then redirected its eyes towards the girl on the ground. It lowered its mouth and approached her, almost like trying to squeeze her in its mouth and run away with her. Which is what it ended up doing.

By the time Rentarō had gotten there, the girl was flailing her limbs weakly, trying to get herself out of its mouth. This time around it didn't puncture any of her organs, but it kept her there almost like it was a real bat trying to fly away with a mouse in its mouth.

Rentarō: "GODDAMMIT!" seeing how it suddenly opened both of its wings, almost in a motion that suggested that it was ready to fly off, the boy couldn't afford postponing it any longer.

He did a high jump towards the creature, using his mechanical leg to launch him more than normal muscles could ever do.

He then slammed his mechanized arm into its head, making it immediately crack and break under the immediate force. The mouth opened up because of him damaging the internal pumps that caused a loss in pressure in the hydraulic system that controls the mouth.

Enju fell onto the ground. When she looked back up, she saw Rentarō trying to wrestle with the wings that the creature was trying to engulf his body with. At the end, seeing how it was ready to stomp down on Enju this time, he quickly climbed down at the last second and forced his arm to grab its foot before it landed and pushed it sideways, making the bat's body fall down. With the artificial skin almost tore off from his mechanical limbs, Enju stared in pure fright at the sight of the teenage boy now having his non-human parts exposed, with a look of rage on him.

Rentarō: "WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT NOT GOING NEAR IT?!"

~Satomi Residence, one hour later~

Enju: "I'M SORRY, OK?!" the girl cried out in an apology, feeling very angry after the amount of scolding that she had received from the boy. Rentarō wouldn't have any of it, though, since he wasn't even remotely done with her.

Rentarō: "It's a bit too late for 'sorry', Enju! You almost lost your life! I specifically told you to avoid getting near it, and yet you ignored my order!" he continued with his attitude, not letting go of the subject at all. "Now…..half of your body is red, almost like you have hives right now. And you're still lucky! You could have ended up in much worse of a condition!"

Enju: " _(frowning)_ Well, it's that guy's fault for launching his rocket without looking! I mean, I did everything I co-…." but she stopped on her tracks when looking at his icy glare at her.

Rentarō: "That's enough….go to your room!" his dead-serious look on his face was suggestive enough. He wasn't feeling like continuing this conversation at all. He was fed up, irritated, and ready to literally enter a hardcore screaming match with her if she was going to persist with this.

Enju: "But I-…." suddenly a loud ring tone began to play from Rentaro's pocket, ending this discussion and prompting the boy to move his hand in his pocket.

Rentarō: "I said go to your room, Enju!" was his final decisive order to her.

Feeling almost threatened this time, the girl swallowed her pride and decided to listen to him, retreating down the hallway.

After seeing her disappear from his sight, the boy finally accepted the call and brought the phone to his ear.

Rentarō: "Hello?" he asked, trying to pretend that he didn't know what the call was going to be about, despite having seen who the caller was and imagining about what was about to go down.

 **Kisara: "Do you want me to fire you?" came the sudden and very blunt and direct first phrase from his phone's speaker. Needless to say that it was pretty straight to the point.**

Rentarō: "Who the hell starts their phone conversations like that?!" he almost had a heart attack at the sudden aggressiveness that he had been assaulted with.

 **Kisara: "Your boss, that's who!" came the sarcastic reply from the other end. "What the hell happened back there at the Training Center?! I'm doing the best I can to advertise our company to the public and make a good image for ourselves, and now you ruin everything by doing stupid things during your first training with Enju. Are you trying to sabotage our jobs, Rentarō?!" it was very impressive how she had caught word of his and Enju's embarrassing lack of cooperation so early, after only one hour since it ended.**

Rentarō: "It wasn't my fault! She didn't listen to my order! I did everything I could to save her, afterwards!" he tried his best to defend himself in these circumstances.

 **Kisara: "Rentarō, it's pretty pathetic when you have to blame the ten year old for your failures as a team leader, you know…." obviously she wasn't going to take his side no matter what he was about to say.**

Rentarō: "Technically, she's still nine…."

 **Kisara: "THAT'S EVEN WORSE!" she rebutted him, leaving no room for the boy to offer any counterargument in his defense.**

Rentarō: " _(sighes deeply)_ Look, I'm sorry! I just….don't feel like I can take much of this anymore. Things are moving way too fast and…..I don't feel like I'm a good match for Enju!" he began to explain sorrowfully to the phone, dropping any sign of attempt at self defense and suddenly turning the conversation in an entirely new direction. That caught Kisara off guard.

 **Kisara: "What….do you mean?" she asked.**

Rentarō: "I assume you saw my IP ranking that they assigned to me and Enju at the end, right?" he inquired all of a sudden.

 **Kisara: "Yes….it was 198287" the girl recounted the very poor results that she had received as their employer. To say that she had been disappointed would be an understatement. "Apparently you and Enju are literally the worst team in Japan!" she restated the information she had collected, much to her disappointment.**

Rentarō: "Exactly! And that's because me and her really don't get along very well. She's mad at me all the time and barely even listens, not just there but at home too. I just….don't think that she likes me enough to listen to my orders!" he tried to justify the very low scores that they had been assigned.

 **Kisara: "For Pete's sake, Rentarō….she's a nine year old girl! It doesn't take much to impress one! You remember how easily impressionable I was at that age, don't you? It was only seven years ago. Back then, I was so easy to fool I even dated you! That just goes to show how trivial it is!" the boy felt very ticked off suddenly.**

Rentarō: "What's that supposed to mean….?" he felt a vein suddenly pop from his skull at that comment. "And….those weren't dates! We were just fooling around back then…...look just, don't change the subject, please! I'm already tired…." he let out exasperated already. "I…..don't think Enju is the right partner for me. Regardless of how easy you claim it is she just won't listen to me! I just think that she hates me! And no matter what, I don't think I can change that. Can you do something about this?" he suddenly broke the silence between them.

 **Kisara: "Do….what?" she actually understood what he wanted to say, but she simply pretended not to understand it just because of disbelief.**

Rentarō: "I…..want a new Initiator!" he revealed, confirming her worst suspicions. The blood froze in her veins.

 **Kisara: "Rentarō…..you know that's not an easy thing to ask for! There are a lot of requirements stipulated by the IISO with respect to Promoter-Initiator disbandment. And, currently, you meet none of them!" she informed him of what he already knew though. "They are pretty strict about these things! You can't just change your Initiator like you change clothes! That's only done in extreme circumstances!" he really didn't need her to explain things that he had already learned for his license.**

Rentarō: "I know….I'm just asking for another way! There's very little I can do about this! I can't continue with her as my par-….." but he stopped dead in his tracks immediately when he heard a floor tile squeak, a sign that pressure was applied to it in just the wrong spots.

The wooden flooring were dead giveaways in that house because they would produce loud noises almost constantly when someone walks around.

Rentarō's blood froze in his veins when he realized what that implied.

 **Kisara: "Hello? Rentarō? What's going on t-…." but he quickly ended the call, cutting her off while turning his head ever so slowly to his right. There, at the doorway to that room, stood Enju, filled with hurt in her eyes.**

Rentarō: " _(gulping)_ Since when have you been standing there?" he asked, not sure how to deal with this new unfortunate predicament.

Enju: " _(glaring)_ Since a couple of minutes ago. I didn't feel like going to my room…." she responded very lowly, pouting a lot. It was evident that she had overheard his conversation with Kisara because of her now fully angered state. "You…..want me to send me back to that facility, don't you? You don't want me here anymore, do you?!" she began to speak in a very harsh aggravated tone of voice. She looked dead in his eyes, looking for honesty in them.

Rentarō: " _(sighes)_ Yes…..I do" seeing how she wanted honesty, that was what he was planning on giving her. "I…..don't think we can continue like this, Enju. You didn't listen to me at all today, putting both of us in danger's way. Hell, you don't listen to anything I say while we're at home here either!" he tried to defend his position to her.

The girl lowered her head, almost as if ashamed of those accusations. She somewhat understoo his point of view. She wanted to scream how unfair it was for him to do that to her but, at this point, she knew it would only do her more harm than good.

Rentarō: "I….can't continue on like this! I don't want to keep on-…." but he was interrupted by her.

Enju: "No…..I'm not going back there!" she suddenly declared. Without any other forewarning, she dashed towards the exit of their house. The boy's face immediately turned white when realizing what she wanted to do.

Rentarō: "Wait….Enju! Don-…." but it was too late. With her speed, she ran outside and began disappearing into the distance. Rentarō dashed outside trying to run after her, only to remember, yet again, how little a chance he had to catch up to someone with her abilities. "Goddammit! Wait for me!"


	12. A glimpse into the past, part 5

Author's note: freakishdust1 Thanks again, for your review! Always a pleasure to see that someone is still reading this fic. Rentarō's change of heart wasn't really that big in the last chapter, though, as you will see here. He's still angry at her and his concern for her running away is more because he is afraid of losing his job, though, as I will highlight in this new chapter. I guess I should have done a better job at portraying the real reason for his distress at the end of last chapter. Oh well….this is exactly why reading reviews is important for an author! I get to better understand what my readers are thinking. Feedback is always welcome! :)

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~Random street in Tokyo, one year before current events~

Rentarō: "God dammit! I'm starting to get sick from all of this!" he felt incredibly tired from all the running around aimlessly, trying to find his now lost Initiator. Every step he took felt not only pointless, but almost like taking him even further in the wrong direction from his target. It wasn't really a rational feeling, since he had changed his directions multiple times and he still felt that dreadful sensation continuously, no matter where he was headed.

After about twenty minutes of fruitlessly running around in circles almost, he stopped next to a big building to catch his own breath.

Every fiber in him was already pushed to its maximum limit, considering how just an hour ago he had participated in that God forsaken training in which he had to single-handedly defeat that robot just to save Enju.

And now, as if that wasn't enough, he had to go find her after she had run away from him. His mechanical parts were still running optimally although his human muscles felt like they were screaming at his brain to just give up on her and stop. It's like his luck with his Initiator simply vanished all of a sudden in thin air.

Rentarō: "That damn little….." he couldn't even finish that train of thought, his mind becoming cloudy from all that effort exertion. To him, it felt like he was now playing an impossible game.

He didn't know where she went to. He didn't even think Enju knew anyone besides him in the outside world so he doubted she had anyone to rely on or stay at. Which meant that he had no immediate idea of where she could have ran to outside of just purely random locations. Not only that but he had no real means of tracking her, which made him feel like he was wasting his time.

He could just return home and forget about her and hope that she would simply return all by herself, without his intervention, but that felt awfully optimistic. Even worse, it was obviously a really big deal if a Promoter lost his Initiator and didn't know of her whereabouts.

While the I.I.S.O. did have procedures to follow in those circumstances, they all involved penalizing him heavily for his incompetence. If he would get lucky and not have his Promoter license outright revoked, he would still face a substantial increase of his IP rank by 25% of its current value. And given how high his rank already was because of previous failed training session, 25% wouldn't be an insignificant amount. If he was already considered the worst Promoter in Japan because of his current one, after that increase, he would probably end up as the worst Promoter in the entire world, literally forever tarnishing the Tendō Civil Security name; needless to say he wasn't that eager of reporting this situation to Kisara.

Rentarō: " _If only there was an easy way of finding her….._ " he thought to himself. He wondered...what could he do to fix this?

He was pretty much against the wall also because Enju could, at the very least, cause trouble somewhere deep within Tokyo if she was unsupervised, which would probably warrant the attention of the police. And if police officers found her then things were bound to get ugly as soon as they would notice that she was a Cursed Child.

By that point, they would probably learn of her status as an Initiator as well and then, eventually, word will reach I.I.S.O. as well that he had fucked up.

Rentarō: "Wait… _..._ the police!" he remembered a possible solution.

Without any hesitation, he pushed his hand into his pocket, brought out his phone and dialed a number from his contacts list that he very rarely soon afterwards, the other end accepted the call.

 **Miori: "Well well, what a lovely surprise! It's been a while since the last time you decided to take initiative and call me, Rentarō-kun!" a seemingly delighted and mischievous voice emerged. Rentarō felt very uncomfortable because of his circumstances.**

Rentarō: "Good evening, Shiba-san! I'm sorry for calling you all of a sudden like this. But I'm doing this because I have an urgent favor to ask from you!" he tried to get straight to the point since he didn't feel that comfortable prolonging that conversation with that woman.

 **Miori: "You can drop the 'san' honorific! I already told you that at school! There's really no need to be so formal when you're talking with me, you know!" despite the apparently very casual tone that she was using when talking with him, Rentarō was very focused and defensive, knowing her well enough to understand that she was just fooling around and trying to play with him. "Just call me Miori, please!"**

Rentarō: " _(feeling very uneasy)_ Isn't that a bit too personal, though? What if other people overheard us and began getting the wrong idea?" he tried to sheepishly ask, prompting the girl on the other side to smirk.

 **Miori: "There's nothing wrong with two close friends being personal with each other, is there? After all, we're quite close to each other, aren't we?" and there was another attack from her part. He felt like this woman was growing bolder and bolder every time they talked with each other.**

Rentarō: "You're…..only making things worse!" he did his best to deflect all her attempts at messing with him. It was way harder than he had considered and she didn't seem to want to make it any easier for him either. "Please stop doing that! You know how sensitive Kisara-san usually gets when she hears you talk like that to me! She always misunderstands and I usually get to pay for it! And it'll only become harder from this point on, considering that she's my employer now!" he begged, although he knew deep down that his cries were probably falling on deaf ears, considering how he suspected that Miori was most likely doing her flirting with him specifically because it was pissing Kisara off.

 **Miori: "Oh….about that: congratulations on getting your Promoter license! I heard you officially received it this week, right? I wanted to call you and congratulate you earlier but certain issues got in the way. I just wish you would have taken up my offer and applied to be hired in our Civil Security instead! After all, I promised that I would give you all the services a competent employee like you necessitated" the boy couldn't see it from his location but the girl had a very evil but feminine look on her face when saying that, although a chill did run down his spine when hearing that. "….and a bit extra, just from me!" yep, his creeped out state was warranted.**

Rentarō: " _(sighes)_ Thank you, I appreciate your support! But I already told you that I had a promise made to Kisara-san for a long time to apply to her company once I would acquire it! After all, given how much her family helped me in the past, it would only be fair for me to at least support her like this…." he felt bad to say that, mostly because Miori's own family had also lent him a hand on many occasions in the past, too. He didn't want to downplay that but, at the same time, if he had to choose between who had the most impact in his life, he would have had to go with the Tendō family.

 **Miori: " _(sigh)_ Pity…..I would have really liked to work with you! Well, it's your choice!" the disappointment in her voice was obvious. He felt really bad because of that, although there was not much he could do about it. "Just know, though, that regardless of what happens, you will always be invited at Shiba Civil Security Corporation!" she reassured in a welcoming and friendly voice, dropping the feminine seductress persona and giving him an honest peace of mind. The boy appreciated that.**

Rentarō: "Thanks! I'm really grateful to everything you've done for me! But I don't think you'd want to be associated with someone whose rank is in the hundred thousands!" he mentioned with a very depressed and sad voice, which invited an awkward moment of silence between the two.

 **Miori: "Oh….yeah, I read about your ranking too" she stated cautiously, not knowing what to say that would sound uplifting to him but also convincing and helpful. "W-well…..I'm sure they did a mistake there at some point! I'm confident that you are way better than that! You probably just had a bad day, today!" she said in a forced tone, obviously trying to cheer him up.**

He was very concerned about how she was so interested in his abilities that she had ended up looking up his scores only hours after they had been published. For Kisara, that was a natural thing to do since she was his employer and the one who would be the most directly impacted given how her Corporation's reputation is directly tied to his performance. Then again, he just assumed that this was simply because Miori was a friend of his who was concerned and not attribute it any negative connotations.

Still, he now remembered why he had called her in the first place. He didn't have time for idle chitchat.

Rentarō: "A-anyways, Shiba-senpai, I want to-..." but he was cut off immediately.

 **Miori: "That's Miori, Rentarō-kun!" she tried to underline her request again to him.**

Rentarō: "Miori…." he paused for a second because of how unnatural it felt for him to refer to her in such a weirdly inappropriate way. Even though him and Kisara had never crossed the friendship boundary in the past and had never gone to the next level (at least, not outside playing make-believe when they were children), he still felt like he was cheating on her for conceding to address Miori in such a personal way. He was a sinful man, indeed. "...I wanted to ask for your help! Right now…..my Initiator ran away from home and is lost somewhere in Tokyo. I remember that your father was on good terms with the head of the police department, right?" he suddenly inquired.

 **Miori: "Yes. Our family business provides a lot of the weapons and arsenal that the policemen in Tokyo use on a daily basis. It's only natural that they would be on good terms with each other!" she affirmed, letting the boy know that maybe he did have a chance with his plan.**

Rentarō: "I imagine he has contacts that can give him access to the police radio system, right? You know, the system that allows police officers to talk to each other with their scanners from their cars!" now she was getting where he was hinting at.

 **Miori: "You mean…..you want us to eavesdrop on the radio communications from police officers all around the city? You do know that it's illegal for us to share with you such information, right? The radio communications that are within their frequency ranges are considered private by the law, and we could end up in a lot of trouble if it was ever found out that we shared them with a random person!" well, that didn't surprise him at all. Of course what he was asking for was unethical and illegal.**

Rentarō: "I know that what I'm asking for isn't right! But, please, just this once, I need your help! If I won't find my Initiator soon, it's very likely that they'll revoke my license! Maybe even dissolve Kisara's company! I….need your help!" he begged, knowing how pathetic he probably sounded to her but showing her with all honesty the situation he was in.

 **Miyori: "…..you're in quite a lot of trouble, aren't you? It's very much unlike you to ask others for help; I don't even remember hearing you beg before!" that was a clear indication that he was at his wit's end. She was now genuinely worried. Then again, a Promoter having his Initiator run away from them is indeed a cause for concern, to say the least. "Fine….I'll help you out! Our company also makes the scanners that police use so we can tap into their transmissions. For obvious reasons, I won't be giving you the direct feed. But I'll listen on all frequencies myself and, if I hear any word about anyone finding a rogue Initiator in the upcoming hours, I'll contact you immediately and let you know!" she told him, making the boy less anxious, finally.**

Rentarō: "Thank you! That's all I need! I'm looking for a Cursed Child with long red hair, dressed in a light blue dress! Her height is about less than 150 centimeters! She's….a bit feral, for lack of a better word" he tried to inform her, just so she could have a better description of what she was looking for.

 **Miyori: "Got it! I'll try to see what I can find! I'll call you back on this number as soon as I have any additional info. Oh, and one more thing!" she interrupted.**

Rentarō: "What?"

 **Miyori: " _(smiling deviously)_ You're going to take me out to Narisawa, sometime in the near future! And you're not allowed to bail out on me this time!" the boy froze at the hearing of that name. To be honest, he expected no less from someone who's living in the higher class of society.**

Rentarō: "Please….have mercy! A single dinner there costs as much as I earn in an entire month! I can't possibly take you out there, of all places!" he felt like he was on the verge of crying.

 **Miyori: "Wow….Kisara isn't really paying you much, is she?" she remarked, not even sarcastically.**

Rentarō: "Our company is just starting out! We have almost no funds to survive on!" he revealed.

 **Miyori: "Well, then it's your fault for choosing to get hired at her Corporation over mine! Now deal with the consequences! It's uncouthly for a man to complain about the prices of a restaurant he's taking his date to! Especially when the woman is the one who's making the invitation, in the first place!" well, he was screwed now.**

Rentarō: " _YOU'RE NOT INVITING, YOU'RE_ _BARGAINING!_ " he mentally complained, trying to calm down and appease his suffering soul for what he was about to say next. "Fine….I'll be taking you out to Narisawa for one dinner! Just...please don't tell Kisara-san anything about this! If she finds out, she might fire me, if nothing else, at least to prevent me from affording to take you out there!" he felt so dirty for agreeing to all of that charade.

The muffled chuckling he was hearing from the other end signaled that Miyori was enjoying herself a lot.

 **Miyori: "Fine, this will be our little secret! Just remember, though: I want a date, not just a friendly night out! You better deliver on that!" clearly she inherited a lot from her father. She even got his impressive and dangerous negotiation skills. One thing was for sure though, he would never want to get on her bad side.**

Rentarō: " _I hate my life!_ "

~Half an hour later, random park in Tokyo~

The girl finally relaxed her muscles after having run for what was probably the longest marathon she had ever ran in her entire life.

She did one last check behind her to ensure that he hadn't somehow followed her there, confirming once and for all that she had lost him and that it would be very difficult for him to get back in touch with her.

Enju: " _Ouch….that was a really bad idea!"_ she mentally complained after feeling her entire body burn at the intensity of her running.

After the previous training session and after having Varanium shrapnel injure her, the last thing her body needed was that sprint she took. Alas, now it didn't matter since, even though she currently looked like someone dumped boiling water over the right side of her body, it wasn't likely that anyone would necessarily try arresting her just because of that.

She was free now, with no one trying to control her anymore, for the time being. Obviously she knew full well, though, that it was only a matter of time until Rentarō will sound the alarm to his superiors and them starting a city-wide search for her. Consequently, she needed to move fast before anyone starts to actively hunt her down and try to capture her. After all, she was sure that if she gets caught from that point on, she would be gravely punished….probably with another session in The Room again. She would rather die than be forced into that chamber once again.

Enju: " _Now…..I need to find someone who can help me out!_ " she said to herself, scanning the park for any potential helpful-looking person who wouldn't shun her. She analyzed carefully any people passing by casually, trying to see if any of them looked kind enough to support her. And she eventually came across a couple strolling around. She decided to approach them.

Enju: "Uh, good evening!" she yelled, very nervous towards them, feeling unsure of herself because this was the first time in her life she interacted with people in the outside world without Rentarō watching over her. "Uh, I need your help! I'm looking for-…." but she was interrupted when the two caught glimpse of her and noticed the intense burning red skin covering half of her.

Boyfriend: "Good God, what happened to you, you poor thing?!" he almost yelled when staring at her. He crouched to take a better look at her when she arrived next to him, checking her and becoming very concerned immediately when he noticed the full extent of her injuries. "Did someone hurt you?" he continued, with a lot of worry in his voice.

Enju: "No….not really. But that's not important! I want to find someone!" she tried to explain, trying not to get distracted because of this stranger.

Boyfriend: "No….you can't look for anyone while you're like this! You need to get to the hospital, right now!" he proposed, trying to think logically although not understanding the girl's circumstances at all.

Enju: "N-no….I don't want to go to a hospital! Listen to me! I ju-…." but she got interrupted by the man's partner.

Girlfriend: "Leave her alone, Yamada-kun!" came the rather intrusive order from her, making the man stop in his tracks.

Boyfriend: " _(looking back confused at her)_ But, she's clearly injured! Why would I-…."

Girlfriend: "Take a look at her eyes!" she apparently noticed what should have been obvious from the very beginning: the girl had intense scarlet eyes, a clear indicator of her status as a Cursed Child.

The boy hadn't noticed this until she brought it up but now, now that he tried to focus on her a bit more, he finally came to the same conclusion as her.

Now, while being polite and helpful towards Cursed Children was not necessarily a crime in that city, they were generally looked upon with scorn and were seen as an invitation for trouble. Naturally, the boy didn't want anything to happen to him nor his girlfriend, so he understood quite well her point of simply leaving that child to fend for herself.

Boyfriend: "I….I'm sorry! We can't help you!" came the rather cold sudden reply from him. He decided to listen to his girlfriend's request and move on.

Enju, obviously, was angry at this new development, feeling cheated for not receiving any real help from them.

Enju: "Wait! I just want you to help me find someone! I'll be gone quickly afterwards!" she tried to reason but the two stopped listening to her and began walking away trying to ignore the obnoxious kid they were leaving behind.

Enju glared, feeling very annoyed at this. Apparently things didn't go as she had planned.

Enju: " _This isn't going to be as easy as I thought it should…._ " she then redirected her attention towards another group of people nearby. She then decided to approach these ones too, hoping that things would become better. "Uh, excuse me! I'm looking for someone! Do you think you can answer me a couple of questions?" she tried to gain their attention, not realizing the hostility that many of them were displaying.

Random guy: "Get the hell out of here kid! This isn't a good place to be in!" one of them warned, trying to inform her that she had no place being there. The girl, after already having been ignored by the previous couple, didn't want to give up just yet, though.

Enju: "Please! I just need a couple of directions, that's all!" she tried to continue persuading them, but to no avail.

Another guy: "What you need is some makeup. Or maybe plastic surgery, from the way you look!" this one felt a bit more intimidating, not holding back on her just because of her age. "Beat it, kid! This is an adults' only area! If you know what's good for you, you'll leave us alone, now!" he threatened, informing her that they weren't gonna mess around for too long with her.

The girl stood there, thinking what she should do. They were radiating hostility towards her, that much was clear. If she would continue to bother them, she might end up in a bad place. Or…..would she?

Enju: " _I already have my powers….it wouldn't be that hard to make them talk_ " she thought to herself, wondering if she should actually employ these measures. If Rentarō was there, he would have obviously told her to step down and make the proper decision of trying to find others for help. But, the fact of the matter was that Rentarō wasn't there and nor did she need to listen to him anymore.

Guy: "Hey! Aren't you listening?! I'm talking to you!" the intimidating dude rose up from the bench he was sitting on and began approaching her slowly, trying to scare her away, seeing how simply talking to her wasn't yielding any results.

The girl didn't take his tactic with kindness though.

When he was literally in front of her, she kicked his torso with one of her legs, effectively breaking two ribs inside and forcing him to spew blood out of his nostrils all of a sudden, while also making him fall on the ground.

The man fell to his side, with his face becoming pale in the span of just a couple of seconds, a pool of blood growing underneath him.

Another guy: "WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH THIS KID?!" one of them pulled out a knife and began approaching Enju, ready to stab her just so that she would stop.

The girl wasn't impressed, though, and easily dodged it before jumping high towards him with a lot of force and smashing her kneecap into his jaw, forcing him to fall backwards. After all those years she had spent in that accursed facility, she developed all the necessary skills to beat the crap out of adults, as well as avoid incoming blows of weapons. Now, all of those skills were going to be used to her advantage.

The last two aggressors just stood there, amazed. Neither of them had the courage to approach her, especially not after seeing how easily she had handled their friends. Despite her age and her small posture, she still packed a deadly punch, apparently.

Enju: "So….will you start talking now?!" she made a step towards the remaining two.

Guy: "FUCK THIS!" one of them then began to make a dash for it, while his partner remained in one spot, petrified. The one who began to run didn't manage to get far, though, as Enju sprinted after him as well, her speed far beyond what a normal human could ever achieve. In just seven seconds, she was already at his position. She launched a kick in his direction and succeeded in landing her foot on him, propelling him into a tree nearby. He fell down, unconscious, with a lot of blood starting to pour from his nose and into his mouth.

The girl then turned back towards the one who had remained stationary, only to discover that he had disappeared in the time that she had dealt with his cowardly friend.

Enju: " _Man, everyone here isn't really friendly..._ " she thought to herself when looking around and seeing how everyone else in that park, after having witnessed all of that, began running away in various directions, scattering like ants running away from fire. Since she had no one else around to ask questions to, that meant that she was now alone to see for herself what she could do.

Enju: " _I hate humans…._ " she began to think. However, what she was surprised about was the hearing of a police siren arriving from the distance. One of the bystanders in that park immediately called the police as soon as they had noticed her, a Cursed Child, starting to talk with those guys, which were clearly becoming very violent the more they were in contact with her. " _Oh_ … _.great_ " she thought about running away now that the police appeared to arrive but she quickly banished that thought.

She knew she was going to become a wanted person very soon so she would become hunted in the near future. Given that, what really was the point of trying to run away from the police now? She might as well see if she could confront them.

Two police officers exited the vehicle, both taking notice of her eyes and realizing that she was a Cursed Child that had turned violent.

Officer 1: "Great….now we have to deal with this. Inform center that we have a violent Cursed Child on the loose here! Have them send backups now!" he ordered his partner. The second officer acknowledged his command and went back into the car to deliver that message via the radio system while the first one pulled out his gun and aimed at Enju. "This is the police! You are under arrest for assault! Lie down flat onto the ground with your arms spread, now!" he warned her.

It was now clear that she had angered society. Now it was her against everyone else.

Enju: " _As long as I'm free, it doesn't really matter! I can fend for myself!_ " she said to herself before rapidly starting to approach the officer aiming at her. Her speed was clearly inhuman so the officer decided to neutralize her with his gunshots.

He fired a couple of bullets in her direction but she immediately changed her trajectory after she saw him pulling the safety on his gun, effectively dodging the bullets before he even shot. She ran into an arc around him while also closing in on him, trying to avoid his gunshots while he struggled to hit her.

Officer 1: "Dammit, she's fast!" even if he did shoot her, he doubted it would bring her down. After all, Cursed Children are well known for their extremely fast healing abilities. While several gunshots to the head would be enough to kill her, he needed to deliver them correctly.

The officer kept on aiming and shooting, each time missing her with just a bit of millimeters of leeway. The girl, finally, made a sharp turn and began running head-on towards her attacker. This time, the man had her right in his sights and, even though she was heading towards him at a blazing speed, he still had the necessary time to finally shoot at her head since she now abandoned all attempts at dodging just so she could attack him frontally. She did that just so she could get close enough to hit him, although she did leave herself open to being shot now. The officer had only a couple of seconds to properly aim his gun and shoot before she could land her hit, a chance that she allowed herself to take just so she could finish him off quickly.

Now, she still tried to perform a last second dodge when noticing that he did indeed have the necessary speed to orient his gun very quickly but, this time, it was less effective and the bullet did finally land on her body, despite missing her head which was its original target. However, it touched right in the same area where the previous Varanium shrapnel fragment had hit, causing immense pain to reverberate throughout her body.

The girl yelled very loudly, losing her momentum and falling over, right in front of the policeman, feeling her right arm paralyzed and trying to cover the open would with her left hand.

Officer 1: "I think you've done enough for today, you monster!" he yelled before forcing the barrel of his gun against her head. "Any last words?" he inquired at the creature on the ground beneath him. The girl didn't respond with anything, though.

Officer 2: "Wait! You're actually going to kill her?!" his partner inquired all of a sudden, after finally finishing his message to central and getting out of the car to assist.

Officer 1: "Of course! She's very dangerous! And besides, she's a Cursed Child! Nobody's going to complain if one of them dies. Especially not after the trouble she caused here!" he tried to reassure him, while still focusing intently on the child under him to make sure that she wouldn't make any sudden moves to escape.

Officer 2: "Are you sure, though? I don't think chief will be thrilled to hear about this in our report!" his partner still had his skepticism, trying to see if he could probably persuade him into stopping and preventing him from making any rash decisions.

Officer 1: "Listen: stop worrying about it! Many of us have dealt with these little troublemakers for years, now! The only way they will learn is through force! And sometimes, that implies deadly force!" Enju froze on the spot, right there, feeling the dread finally starting to build up in her. She didn't want to die….she had something she needed to do before dying. No way was she gonna allow that bastard to kill her there.

Officer 2: "Shouldn't we talk to her for a bit, first, though? Maybe we can learn something useful from her!" the other still persisted. His superior wasn't very pleased with that idea, but he also felt very bad being the only one of the duo who was advocating for their target's death. And, seeing how the second officer didn't seem ready to be convinced of the necessity of the killing, he eventually gave up on the idea.

The man removed the gun from the girl's head and rose back to his feet, since he had been kneeling that whole time to take a better look at her and ensure she had no weapons hidden in her clothes or anything.

Officer 1: "Get up!" he sternly ordered. The girl did as she was told to, rising to her feet as well. She had a very concerned and vicious look on her face. She was clearly very scared but was refusing to admit that, trying to put up a tough facade.

The officer still aimed his gun at her head, though, with the safety pulled and ready to fire if she would make any jarring movements.

Officer 1: "What's your name?" he asked in a very demanding and direct voice. He didn't even move his gun slightly when asking that, maintaining a proper stance and without trembling at all, despite holding the gun on her and visibly being prepared to shoot. Clearly he was a professional, so she shouldn't be messing around with him.

Enju: "Enju….Aihara!" she revealed, very lowly. She didn't know what to do now. He was aiming straight at her forehead, dead center. She simply didn't have the necessary speed to dodge the incoming bullet immediately if he were to shoot as soon as she began moving. And despite her having the resilience of surviving a single bullet, if it hit her brain, she would be knocked out instantaneously, which would allow them to easily finish her off afterwards. And even if she escaped that, she would have to later avoid both of them at the same time. She was in a lot of trouble now.

Officer 1: "Enju, huh? I wish there were some better circumstances under which we would have met. Do you understand what you did here, today, Enju?" he spoke with a very cold, almost robotic voice, like he had memorized a very old and time-tested procedure that he was now replaying from his memory. Clearly, this man had a lot of experience behind him.

Enju: "Yes...I do!" she responded, still clearly very scared.

Officer 1: "You injured a bunch of innocent people today! I hope you're ready to receive your punishments for what you did!" she gulped, feeling the weight of her actions crushing her right then. She obviously understood all of that, there was really no need for him to point it out to her.

Enju: "What….punishment are you planning?" she asked in a trembling voice.

The officer smirked at that.

Officer 1: "Well, it depends. You either calm down and allow us to escort you to the nearest Initiator Training facility….or we kill you now!" that was not a good choice for her. Basically, what these men wanted to do to her was what Rentarō had also planned on doing just before she ran away: send her back into the hands of the I.I.S.O.

Evidently, she didn't want that. After all those years, she was sure that if she returned there, they would punish her for her misdeeds, especially after all the injuries she had caused to those random civilians in the past hour. Not only that, but it was very unlikely that she will ever see freedom again if she were to be incarcerated back, since it would be highly unlikely that they will pair her with another Promoter after her and Rentarō's abysmal IP results from their training that day.

She simply couldn't afford to be locked up again. If she accepted to be escorted by them, it will be over. All her plans would be blown out the window and she won't ever see sunlight for the rest of her life. She…..hated to think about that.

Officer 1: "So….what will it be, Enju-chan?" he added that honorific at the end of her name sarcastically, even though he still didn't remove the gun from its initial position. Her life was clearly being threatened.

Enju: "I choose…..to be escorted!" she responded lightly. The two men then looked at each other, skeptical.

Officer 1: "Then, we better get going!" he motioned to his partner to put handcuffs on her. The second officer, seeing the signal, obeyed and began approaching her. Enju tensed at that. "Don't move!" he clarified very quickly. "If you make any sudden movements, I'll shoot!" there was no room for her to escape, or at least that was what they were thinking.

Her partner approached her cautiously, trying to avoid being in the line of fire from his superior but while also trying to put handcuffs on. Enju innocently brought her arms in front of her to make it look like she was awaiting him to finish his task. He approached them to put the cuffs on, only for her to suddenly grab the sleeve of his uniform and yank him towards her, practically forcing him into his partner's line of fire to use him as a human shield if his superior decided to shoot at her, as he had originally threatened in case she would try to escape.

Officer 1: "Dammit, you little..." he began charging at her. The girl quickly kicked his partner with her leg, using her strength to break his left leg. She then quickly dodged the first officer trying to hit her with his gun and jumped backwards to put some distance between them.

The officer aimed his gun at her again, shooting a couple of bullets in her general direction, accounting for her possible evasion movements when doing so. This strategy seemed to work better, since he started to read into her tactics. One of the bullets hit into her left leg as well, effectively preventing her from running away.

Enju: "Ow, it hurts!" she yelled before having another bullet hit her right leg, this time. She fell onto the ground, grabbing her legs in pain, feeling truly horrendous.

The officer who was still uninjured, approached her quickly before she could recover from the pain and smashed his leg into her face, forcing her back down onto the ground. He then began hitting her with his legs, specifically in her abdomen, trying to break her will.

Officer 1: "You worthless piece of-…." but he was interrupted by a yell coming from the distance.

Rentarō: "ENJU!" came the distant voice of an exhausted young man who was pedaling so fast and so intensely that he felt like he could faint at any moment due to his exhaustion. His voice interrupted the officer who was trying to beat the girl mercilessly.

It seemed like he was traveling on his bike with around thirty kilometers per hour, an impressive achievement given his young age and relatively lack of experience riding. Sweat was heavily dripping down from the top of his head down to his jaw, in big drops.

He arrived as quickly as he could, after having learned from Miyori of Enju's location. The fact that he had arrived this early was a miracle. Even he was impressed with himself.

He barely managed to stop his bike when he arrived at their location, his momentum being dangerously powerful enough to make him almost lose balance. Thankfully, he still managed to safely come to a halt, before getting off and dropping the bike and running to the scene of the conflict.

Rentarō: "Wait! Please! Don't kill her!" he yelled in desperation, running towards the girl shaking on the ground pathetically.

Officer 1: " _(glaring at him)_ And who might you be?" he raised his voice in suspicion, although he refrained from doing anything rash towards the newcomer.

Rentarō: "Excuse me! I'm her Promoter! My name is Satomi Rentarō!" he clarified while bending down to look at her injuries, trying to analyze the girl's movements and make sure she was still alive. Thankfully for him, she was. And since she was a Cursed Child, it was very likely that she will fully heal from them in a couple of days, hopefully.

Officer 1: "Promoter? You?" he was a bit in disbelief. Clearly he was very young, so naturally the officer didn't really believe him at first. "Do you have your license with you?" so he had to confirm it with a valid document.

Rentarō quickly rose back up to retrieve his wallet from the left pocket of his pants and look for it in there. He quickly found it and handed his license to the police officer, already feeling dangerously bad because of this. The officer scanned it attentively, ensuring that it wasn't in any way forged. It looked genuine enough.

Once he confirmed the authenticity of those claims, he released a very heavy and annoyed sigh, before glaring even more intensely at the boy in front of him.

Officer 1: "You're in deep trouble, Satomi-san!" the boy could feel his stomach turn when he noticed the anger behind those words. It was clear that Enju did something horrific while she was away from him.

Rentarō: "I'm truly sorry! I'll take full responsibility for what my Initiator did in the last couple of hours!" he bowed his head as much as he could, trying to see if he could somehow make the officer forgive both him and Enju, although that was very unlikely to happen, by the look of things.

Officer 1: "Do you realize the extent of damage that your Initiator caused here? She injured many bystanders, caused property damage and also injured my partner and tried to escape arrest! At this point, I don't think there's anything you can say in her defense that will make things better for you two!" he gulped loudly. Yep, he was screwed. None of those charges were light and given this unfortunate turn of events, he will be lucky if he will get out of this with just the I.I.S.O. revoking his license.

Rentarō: "I….apologize sincerely!" he had nothing he could say, indeed. He couldn't think of any excuse to come up with. At this moment, he was glad that they haven't outright killed Enju yet.

Officer 1: "Apologies won't do you any good here, Satomi-san! Both you and your Initiator are under arrest! You have the right to remain silent! Anything you say from this point on can be used against you in-…." but he was interrupted once again, this time, by the walkie-talkie he kept in his holster on his belt.

 **Walkie-talkie: "Officer Okazaki….please respond! This is an urgent message!" came the unexpected message from his device. He was Okazaki, so he was the one who was supposed to respond.**

Officer 1: " _(sigh)_ Wait a moment, please!" he told Rentarō, before pulling out his scanner and answering the request. "This is officer Okazaki responding! Yes, chief?" seeing how Rentarō was there and the Initiator on the ground seemed calm now, he decided to respond for now, seeing how he was supposed to answer urgent messages on his walkie-talkie as soon as he was available.

 **Walkie-talkie: "Please report!" came a rather odd order in the middle of the day. Okazaki was confused, not yet sure why he had received such an odd request so abruptly and at such an inconvenient time, especially after his partner had already contacted central and informed them that they were in the middle of an arrest. That was rather unusual for an officer to be contacted like that and forced to report while they were clearly busy.**

Okazaki: "I'm currently in Ueno Onshi Park, about half of a kilometer north of pond Shinobazunoike, in the process of arresting two individuals. The report concerning that Cursed Child causing trouble appears to be about a rogue Initiator. Her Promoter also arrived on the scene just now and I'm ready to take both of them into custody. Please contact the I.I.S.O. to alert them that one of their Initiators will be brought back in!" he tried to follow the order as diligently as possible. "The Initiator's name is Enju Aihara, and her Promoter is Satomi Rentarō. Once I'm done with arresting them, I should bring them to-…." but he was suddenly interrupted.

 **Walkie-talkie: "Please refrain from your arrest and immediately return to patrol!" came the rather unexpected order from his chief. The officer was confused at that, to say the least.**

Okazaki: "Ex…..cuse me? But what am I supposed to do with the two perpetrators?" he was almost at a loss for words at that. He wasn't even capable of parsing that odd order.

 **Walkie-talkie: "You are to allow them to leave! For now, drop any charges concerning them too!" he couldn't believe his ears.**

Okazaki: "But….sir….I…." he literally was stunned, unable to even provide a comeback. What was he supposed to do in such situations? Obviously, from the standpoint of the protocols he was supposed to follow, he would have needed to follow through with the arrest and take them to the station for further interrogation, as well as to restrain Enju in a facility that had the necessary equipment to keep her at bay. But, on the other hand, he was also always supposed to follow his superior's orders, regardless of how strange they are and no matter of the situation.

 **Walkie-talkie: "But what, Okazaki-san?" came a sterner intonation in the voice from the other end. Clearly that was the sign that he should stop, otherwise bad things will happen.**

Okazaki: "I….uh…..hai! Order received! Okazaki, over!" he removed the walkie-talkie from his face and gently put it back in his holster, before glaring back at the teenage boy. Rentarō was too scared to say anything in response to his glare.

He then handed him his license back before going to retrieve his injured assistant and then making their way back to their car to leave the scene of that incident. He was still going to file a rather harsh report at the end of that day concerning his superiors, although it probably won't end up making too much of a difference.

Rentarō: "What….the hell was that all about?" the boy was left completely astonished, both thankful to whatever deity had been watching over him and protecting him but also in disbelief.

Afterwards, his cellphone vibrated a couple of times in his pocket, letting him know that he received a text message.

He brought it up, only to see what should have been obvious.

 **Text message from Miyori: "That will be one night at Narisawa, one night at Ryugin, one night at Nodaiwa, one night at the Mizutani Sushi Bar and one night at Aronia de Takazawa! One for each of the weekdays! Oh….and at least one romantic movie at the cinema together! I'll be waiting for your invitations, Rentarō-kun!" was all that was written in that message. Rentarō felt, at that moment, that, despite having escaped arrest only barely, he was still somehow incredibly unfortunate.**

Rentarō: " _This woman….has a truly scary amount of influence..._ " now he finally got a gist of how truly powerful his friend was. Needless to say, he was scared shitless, not only because of Miyori's display of control, but also at the fact that he was probably going to have to make a loan at a bank just so that he could afford to go to the places that she requested.

The boy let out another heavy sigh, the fourth one that day, before returning his gaze upon the entire cause of that whole calamity.

Enju was lying on the ground, covered in dirt and with blood flowing out of her nose and mouth. She was alive, that was clear, but after receiving a fragment of shrapnel Varanium, as well as bullets into both of her legs, her shoulder and then taking that amount of beating, her body, even with all its regenerative powers, was at its limit. She was still conscious, though.

Enju: "Ren-...tarō" she mumbled almost, seeing his face and recognizing him, despite the migraine that she was going through.

Rentarō: "You're….in for a lot of trouble!" to say that he was ready to make her suffer was an understatement. He finally felt the anger rise up in him now that the most immediate dangers were not there anymore. Now he was all alone with her, and he was going to give her a piece of his mind.

Enju: "I guess….you hate me now, don't you?" she rhetorically asked, with a weak smile on her face.

Rentarō: "I've hated you from the very beginning!" he spat. The girl then tried to rise back up on her feet, barely even managing to maintain a proper train of thought. Her mind was hazy from the immense quantity of pain that her brain was constantly being assaulted with. "What the hell did you do over here?! Do you have any idea in how much danger you put both me and you, as well?! Do you have any idea how much damage you could have caused me and Kisara if Shiba-san wasn't here to help us?!" he angrily questioned, finally starting to release some of the steam that had been building up inside of him after such a long time.

Enju: "I….don't even know who that is!" she tried to defend herself, although with little success.

Rentarō: "You're….going to get it this time! This is beyond just disobeying! I'm not gonna go easy on you, anymore!" he warned. The girl was worried again, although to a lesser extent this time since he wasn't going to kill her, at least. If she knew anything about him, he at least always seemed like the type who couldn't kill. Then again, you never know.

Enju: "I….don't wanna go back to that facility! I'm not an animal! You can't force me to-…."

Rentarō: "Oh really? So, what you did today, at this park, is something a normal human would do?" he interjected. The girl stopped at that. "Because, let me be honest, you do seem like you're an animal that's bent on destroying and attacking! And, sadly, I'm just not good enough to tame you!" now he understood the words of the guard that had handed Enju over to him back at the I.I.S.O. when he had first met her. Now he saw Enju's true face.

The girl looked onto the ground, ashamed of herself, although she didn't say anything in response.

Rentarō: "I never should have been this easy on you….Kisara-san was right, I'm an adult trying to blame a child for her actions. I never should have bothered to control you in the first place!" he commented very coldly, now looking down on her like she was a creature that had escaped from a zoo and had done a lot of damage to the people around it. "You're too dangerous to be outside! You need to be locked back up!" he commented without any empathy for her.

Enju: "No…." she began to grit her teeth, in defiance. "I'm not returning there! They'll put me back into that room! They'll hurt me again! I don't want that!" even after all of that, even after being told exactly what she had done, she was still going against his authority. That was his tipping point.

Rentarō, after everything that had happened, pulled out his gun and placed it against her forehead. This was the second time that day when someone was threatening her life in that way.

Rentarō: "Stay down! This gun has actual Varanium bullets in it! If you try to escape again, I'll shoot you! And this time, unlike the other bullets in your body right now, this should be fatal to you! After all, if a single shrapnel fragment made out of that metal was enough to cause this much inflammation on your body, imagine what an entire bullet can do to you!" he was done playing games with her. Disobedience was one thing but she had went way too far even for that.

Enju stared into his eyes, noticing how she had lost even the little sympathy he once had for her. He felt….detached….almost like he was psychologically ready on following on what he had said. He felt….at that exact moment, like he was indeed ready to end her life.

She was too weak now, incapable of running away since both of her legs had been shot. Even if she tried to escape without them, he was there ready to shoot her at any point. And in those moments, even she knew that if a single Varanium bullet would penetrate her, she would instantly die. Her body was just too injured at that point to survive that trauma too.

Enju: "I….don't want to….I don't want to" she was now realizing how cornered she was.

Rentarō: "I don't care…." he replied, in an emotionless tone.

Finally, after all the beating, all the abuse and after losing all hope and sympathy from her guardian, she finally cracked. She began crying in front of him, loud and desperately, losing all of her previous dignity.

Enju: "Please….don't send me back there! Please! I'll be good from now on!" he wasn't going to be fooled by her anymore. Even if her words seemed true, she was far too unstable for him to trust her again.

Rentarō: "That's not going to work on me anymore, Enju!" he ran out of patience for her. "Rise up!" he ordered. She still remained on her knees though.

Enju: "Please….they'll send me back into that room! I don't want to return there! I….won't be able to survive another session in there!" she begged, although he didn't show any response again.

Rentarō: "I don't care…." he didn't even know what she was talking about, although he had no interest left in himself to invest the energy of inquiring what this 'Room' was.

The girl began trembling, as tears began to mix with the blood coming out of her nose and mouth. She was a total mess, that much was certain. She wanted so badly to run away from him. She just had no more means of doing so.

Enju: "Please!" she still continued with her incessant cries but the boy, again, didn't respond kindly.

Rentarō: "I don't care, Enju! Now rise up! I'm done waiting for you!" it was over for her.

She didn't answer this time, though. She simply tried to rise back up, to follow his order before he would actually become violent, only to fall over because of her almost paralyzed legs. When falling, two pieces of plastic fell from the front pocket of her dress. That caught the boy's attention.

Rentarō: "What's this?" he then bent down to grab them. They were halves of what once was a single portrait picture of a young woman. " _She looks…..familiar…._ " he thought to himself before remembering suddenly who that person was. " _This is….the same picture that_ _was_ _in Enju's profile folder. Sakura Aihara….Enju's mother…._ " he recalled calmly. For whatever reason, the picture was torn and also stained on various bits. It looked old, although still in otherwise good shape.

Enju: "Please...give that back!" she immediately snatched those from his hands, grabbing them violently from him, afraid that he was going to take them away from her. Despite her previously docile and begging persona, she was still rather violent now when he took notice of them. Clearly they had a great significance to her.

Rentarō: "Why….do you carry that around with you?" he asked tactlessly, not realizing the obvious. Enju staggered for a second, not even sure what to say.

Enju: "That's….my mother. That's how she looked like!" she said, despite not really answering his question. That was information he already knew.

Rentarō: "I know that! I'm asking you why you have that on you now!" seeing how he was pressing her and how she didn't have a choice in the matter, the bumbling girl decided to just let go of all her reservations and blurt out the truth. At that point, what use was there in hiding it from him anymore?

Enju: "I….wanted to find her. I promised I would search for her as soon as I would be out of that facility! And I wanted to use this picture to search for her!" now he was even more confused than before. What the hell was this child talking about? Had she really gone fully insane now?

Rentarō: "What? This is the first time I hear about this, though? How were you planning on searching for her without telling me about it?!" he asked, indignant.

Enju: "I…..didn't have the courage, OK?!" she yelled all of a sudden, many tears still flowing from her eyes. "I tried to tell you, so many times. But I was afraid you'd take that picture away from me!" after her former best friend had teared it into half, she was naturally now very distrustful of anyone learning about that picture's existence. "You were always so mad at me….I didn't want you to know! I even thought you would try to stop me from finding her!" she felt angry, even though she was still a crying mess. "I….needed to find her! I really wanted to talk with her….at least once!" she almost lost it right there, her tears still covering a huge portion of her face.

Rentarō: "Is….that why you ran away from me once you found out I planned to send you back?" now every piece was falling into place since she was finally honest with him. He began to make all the connections internally in his mind.

The child nodded, placing the two halves very slowly and cautiously back into her pocket.

Enju: "Please...Rentarō! I don't care anymore if you send me back! Just….let me find her and talk to her! Even for five minutes! I….just want to see her! Please!" she discarded all of her dignity that moment in exchange for even a shred of mercy from him. After all, that was all she could ask for.

Rentarō: " _Did nobody at that facility tell her the truth?_ _They told her about her fate and how she will die soon but they didn't tell her about her mother?_ _Did they just expect me to deal with this once she was going to get paired with me?!_ " he felt angry once again, although this time for an entirely different reason. How could she have been so ignorant all these years? "Enju…..your mother's dead!"


End file.
